Split
by Chronium
Summary: Following the events after the battle with Kaede, An unexpected turn of events has Natsuru Senou dealing with more trouble. Say hello to the Female Natsuru! Natsuru/Kampfer Natsuru pairing!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic, hope it's good! This is basically a Natsuru/Kampfer Natsuru pairing, much like Harem Master's fanfic.

I do not own Kampfer. All characters belong to Nomad and Yasuhiro Kuroda.

Following the events of the attack of the White Kampfer under Kaede's command, our main protagonist, Natsuru Senou, is left wondering about the Moderators and his unrequited love.

Natsuru ventured home after their battle with Kaede, thinking to himself, "How is she related to the moderators? There must be a way I can save her..."

As he unlocked his door and walked in, he was welcomed with a dark silence, broken by the creaking of the door closing behind him. "I'm back..." Natsuru says in a monotone voice.

He lay in his bed thinking about tomorrow and how things will go when he sees Kaede at school.

He turns to Disemboweled Tiger and asks, "Hey, how come I was chosen out of everyone else to be a Kampfer? Not to mention that I'm also a guy."

"I don't know, the Moderators just do whatever they see fit, I'm just a messenger!", proclaims Disemboweled Tiger. "I wonder myself why the they would even bother with a guy like you!", added Disemboweled Tiger. "Thanks..." replied Natsuru," although I don't think I would mind living a normal life now. Being turned into a girl and being forced to do such uncomfortable things has caused nothing but trouble for me."

He lets out a heavy sigh and stares at his ceiling until he slowly drifts off into sleep.

Natusuru is awakened by the bright light of the morning sun, much to his dismay, it was time to get ready for school. He laid in bed for a few moments where he then looked over to his clock. "8:26", he said out loud.

Sitting up from his bed, he started to notice that the right side of his leg was warm, really warm. Puzzled, Natsuru quickly lifted the sheets to reveal a beautiful blue=haired girl that he was all too familiar with, hugging his leg like a body pillow.

"What the hell? What am I...you...what's going on!" yelled Natsuru. The blue-haired girl opened her eyes slowly, and sat up to see the confused Natsuru, mouth hanging open, before letting out a ,"Good morning!"

"Good morning my ass!", shouted Natsuru, "Who are you?"

"What do you mean 'Who are you'?" sounding a little irritated, "I'm Natsuru Senou!", she said with a smirk.

"You mean...you're my Kampfer form?", asked the confused Natsuru. "Yeeeeup!", Female Natsuru replied. "I can finally move on my own now!"

Natsuru looked at his right arm and saw that he still had the blue bracelet. He then noticed that his Kampfer form's manifestation also had a blue bracelet on her wrist.

"Disemboweled Tiger!", Natsuru exclaimed. "What's going on here?" Disemboweled Tiger hopped up from the desk to Natsuru's yelling. He too was surprised to see the two Natsuru's. "Wow, well this was unexpected!", said Disemboweled Tiger.

Natsuru looked back at his Kampfer form, still confused as to how he was in his body and she in...hers? For the first time, he gets a good long look at his female self, understanding now, why people had obsessed over him...her.

"What is it?", Female Natsuru asked with a chuckle. Blushing, Natsuru recovers saying, "Oh! Uhh! No it's nothing. Just a little confused is all."

"Why do you have your uniform on anyway?", asked Natsuru. "Well you know when you go into your Kampfer mode? Well it's sorta the same thing, except I transformed into...myself? It's hard to explain!" Female Natsuru said.

"The Moderators really do have a uniform fetish!", added Disemboweled Tiger.

"So does this mean I get to stay in my male form?" asked Natsuru. "I don't know! Try it!", suggested Female Natsuru.

Natsuru attempts to go into his Kampfer form, much to his surprise, he stayed the same, and was able to use his Kampfer powers to boot! "This is awesome! I can finally be myself in my Kampfer form!", exclaimed Natsuru with a huge smile.

"Hey-, what's wrong with being me?", interjected Female Natsuru with a frown.

"Oh uhh nothing was wrong! It's just that I felt really weird being someone I'm not. You wouldn't understand!", said Natsuru. Female Natsuru, a little annoyed, replies," Well I kinda **do**, I was pretty much stuck in your body with no say about it! Although my likeness is based off of you..." she said resting her chin on her hand.

Natsuru laughs nervously, as Female Natsuru stands up and stretches for a moment. "You know, it's not unlikely that your little crush Kaede is the cause for all this." said Female Natsuru with disgust.

"Eh? Do you not like Kaede?", questioned Natsuru. "Of course I don't like her!", exclaimed Female Natsuru.

Natsuru flinched a little at her comment. "Well, how come?", he asks. "Well for one thing, she's a creepy lesbian who has the hots for me. And she pretty much insulted your every being in front of my face at the pool! I don't understand why you continue to chase after her."

The room fell quiet and Natsuru looked down, reliving that memory of when Kaede had chewed him up and spat him out. Female Natsuru felt guilty brining that back up, until she noticed the time.

"Oh crap! We're gonna be late for school!", shouted Female Natsuru. "Hurry up and get dressed!", she said as she left the room.

"I'm surprised you're so calm about this right now", said Disemboweled Tiger. "Well I did wake up one day as a girl, along with the many other things I've seen, I guess it's just another normal occurrence for me.", said Natsuru as he got dressed.

He met up with Female Natsuru who was waiting for him at the front porch. Natsuru had remembered that Keade might be at the bus stop and was freaking out about encountering her.

"Stop freaking out!", said Female Natsuru trying to ease his tension. "I don't think she'll be there today. And if she is, do not, freak out."

Confused as to how Female Natsuru knew what he was thinking, he asked her. "It's probably the bracelets and our association as Kampfers, you being my host after all. Makes sense right? Although I think only your thoughts and emotions are relayed to me." explains Female Natsuru.

"So you know what's on my mind?", asked Natsuru. "Yep!", said Female Natsuru. "I've been aware of everything ever since you got that bracelet. Also when you were eyeing me over."

Natsuru looked down to hide his flustered face as Female Natsuru laughed. "I thought I'd be used to it by now...", mumbled Natsuru.

Any suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated! As well as more ideas and criticisms!


	2. Chapter 2:  Misunderstanding?

**Happy New Year!** Chapter 2 HO!

R&R please kthx :D

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** 2 - Misunderstanding?**

Natsuru could already tell that his day was not going to get any better. As he and his new, or rather not so new, companion make their way towards the entrance of the school, Natsuru had noticed that they were drawing a lot of attention. Which was not something he was too surprised at. This _is_ the first time that both male and female Natsuru have been seen without one or the other missing. **And** not to mention that they came together to school. Natsuru let out a heavy sigh, knowing Higashida and the other guys would no doubt get wind of this and give him hell for it later.

He then looked over at Female Natsuru. She too probably noticed the attention they drew, but seems to be less bothered by it than he.

"You seem pretty calm about all this." Natsuru said.

"I guess", Female Natsuru said with a smile. "I'm actually pretty excited if anything."

Natsuru chuckled a little before asking, "And why's that?"

Female Natsuru tilts her head up as if she is in deep thought. "Well, suppose you were stuck inside a room with only one window to look out of. And outside that window, you can see your group of friends having fun and enjoying themselves. You wouldn't want to stay cooped up in that room right? Your life seemed so interesting and fun, now I'm finally out here experiencing it for myself! Instead of being stuck in that bracelet.", she explains.

Natsuru was thrown back a little from her analogy. "Was it really like that for you?", he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Sort of, it's more complicated than that though!", Female Natsuru says with a smile.

"Honestly though, my life wasn't so 'interesting and fun' as it is now. I lived a pretty average and boring life, until you came along", said Natsuru.

"I see", said Female Natsuru. "So if you were given a choice, to return to normal and not have to fight, or to continue with your life as a Kampfer, what would you choose?"

Natsuru had to think about that one for a little. At times, he had truly wished that he could go back to his normal lifestyle. It wasn't so much the fighting and danger that he disliked, which he became accustomed to. It was mainly because he would turn into his Female Kampfer form at the most ridiculous moments and had to put up with Shizuku's teasing. Not to mention that his crush, Kaede, is crazy for his female form and came out of the closet when he saved her. All the bad things that had happened to him were like the side-effects of his Kampfer form, but now that he retains his male form when going into Kampfer mode, maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

"Hmm, I think I'd stay as I am, who knows what'll happen?", answered Natsuru.

"Oh? What makes you say that?", asked Female Natsuru.

Natsuru was left stuttering as he was trying to give an answer without being too blunt or giving a malignant explanation in regards to the abuse he had received that was indirectly caused by her.

"Just kidding! I already know", Female Natsuru said with a chuckle. "I can read your thoughts remember? Not the entirety of it, but just enough to know what you're thinking", said Female Natsuru with a wink.

Natsuru weakly smiles back at her. He begins to wonder about her origin, how she came to be, if she had her own set of personalities, if so, where did they come from, what does she know about the moderators? All these questions and more that were building up in his head had to wait, as classes were about to start.

"Are you gonna be okay on your own?", asks Natsuru.

"Don't worry! I'll manage. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll act how you normally would if I see Akane or the others." Female Natsuru reassuringly said.

"Be on the lookout for Kaede too, we don't know what she's planning or if she has any part in this. I'll meet you in the library after school." said Natsuru.

"Understood!", Female Natsuru said with a large grin. And with that, she walked through the gates of the girls' side.

"That girl sure smiles a lot...", thought Natsuru to himself while making his way to the boys' side. "I just hope she doesn't get into any trouble..."

* * *

><p>Natsuru enters his classroom only to be met with everyone sneering at him and mumbling statements of jealousy. "Ah right...that", he thought to himself.<p>

"HOW COULD YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?", erupted Higashida with tears in his eyes as he made his way to Natsuru.

"W-What?", Natsuru replied with a forced smile.

"Don't give me that!", shouted Higashida. "Genji told us that he saw you two walking to school being all lovey-dovey! Smiling and laughing and whatnot!"

This was bad, word had already gotten out on the boys' side about the Female Natsuru being seen with Natsuru. It wasn't particularly bad that news of this had gotten out so fast, rather it was bound to happen. What concerned Natsuru the most was Keade, whether or not she was involved in the manifestation of the Female Natsuru matters little at this moment. As Kaede's main goal was to get Natsuru, his female side to be more precise, to join her ranks and become her lover. Although Natsuru doesn't know what will happen if she succeeds, he knows that it certainly wouldn't be a good outcome.

"Hey! You listening to me or what?", interrupted Higashida. "I asked if you two are going out or anything like that!"

Totally thrown off, Natsuru replies with," H-Hai? (What?)".

"...Unbelievable", says Higashida with his mouth wide open. "You're a lucky son of a !#$% you know that?"

"AH-Wait that's not what I me-", Natsuru interjects but is cut off from the roar of the guys in his class.

"I wonder what a girl like that sees in a guy like him? If _he_ can get a babe like that, then there has to be hope for the rest of us! I bet he paid her to go out with him! Bla bla bla", erupted the class.

More concerned at the misunderstanding than the insults that were casually being thrown about, Natsuru frantically tries to correct himself. At this point, the class had already turned into an uncontrollable group of kindergarteners. He knew how fast rumors traveled, as he had just witnessed himself, but was rendered frozen as he saw guys from his class talking to a group from the neighboring class. Unfortunately for him, the teacher had came to his rescue far too late, as he ordered the students to quiet down and to return to their seats.

"I'm done for..", thought Natsuru to himself as he pictured the reaction of Shizuku, Akane, and Mikoto. Natsuru felt a shock in his spine as he pictured Keade's kind face turning into the cold, evil expression he had received not too long ago. He buried his head into his arms as the teacher had started taking attendance. "It's gonna be a long day..."

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><p>Female Natsuru could barely contain her excitement as she walked through the bright courtyard of the girls' side for the first time on her own. She was greeted by kind smiles and a volley of "Good morning Senou-san!". It's what she had always wanted, interaction, not through an avatar of her, but her herself.<p>

Her glee was abruptly halted as she spotted the three girls in her class that had always took advantage of her.

"Hmmm you smell different today Natsuru-tan, but good~", said the Vice-Rep as she sniffed Female Natsuru.

"Look here, I'll sell you this amazing pencil that is said to have aced every test it was used to take", offered the Treasurer.

"Hey, I set you up a personal date with someone after school, you'd better go, she paid us good money", said the Class Rep.

Female Natsuru had always wondered why Natsuru wouldn't stand up for himself, she'd have to teach him a thing or two about being more aggressive and perceptive, as he is notorious for the lack of such traits. She was tired of this annoying daily routine.

"Why don't you guys mind your own business? I don't belong to you, so stop treating me like I'm some piece of property", Female Natsuru said with an extremely irritated expression.

The three were shocked to hear this coming from her. "W-What are you saying? You belong to Class 2-4!", said the Class Rep.

"Yeah I belong to 2-4, but that doesn't mean you can market me without my consent. If you want my cooperation, then I'm gonna need to see some money", said Female Natsuru nonchalantly. And with that, she makes her way towards class, leaving the three girls panicking among themselves.

"Good morning Natsuru", said Akane.

For now, Female Natsuru would keep up her act for simplicity's sake. "Oh good morning Akane, how are you?", Female Natsuru says making her way to her seat.

"I'm doing fine, by the way, have you seen Kaede around anywhere? I haven't seen her since our last encounter", said Akane. "It's worrying me a little."

"She wasn't at the bus stop this morning, I haven't seen her around school either", replied Female Natsuru.

Female Natsuru was starting to worry, she knew that she was Kaede's target. "I hope she doesn't know that I'm no longer bound to the bracelet", Female Natsuru thought. But wait, something was off, Kaede is conveniently nowhere to be found on this particular day? She has to know what happened. "If I'm what she's after, then why hasn't she shown herself?" Female Natsuru continued to think. With the two of them separated, Kaede won't have to worry about holding back on Natsuru if she were to attack. Something was definitely off, "Could she possibly be in the boys' side?"

Before she could come to a deduction, she was interrupted by the teacher as she shushed the class and started to take attendance. Female Natsuru reassured herself that that couldn't be the case, she'd have to leave it for later to investigate further.

During the break, Masumi Nishino from the Newspaper Club, stormed into class 2-4 and made her way over to Female Natsuru. "Excuse me Natsuru-san! The Newspaper Club has asked that I get an updated interview from the famous Natsuru Senou", explained Masumi.

"Eh? Updated? Why do you need an update on an interview?", asked Female Natsuru.

"Why not! You're still the talk of the entire school, so the Newspaper Club must provide the student body with what they want! And that's more info on you!", said Masumi.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt", said Female Natsuru. "But this time you'd better not put ridiculous stuff about me."

Female Natsuru and Masumi make their way over to the small interview room. It didn't make much of an interview room, it was more like a interrogation room if anything.

"Alright, let's get started shall we?", said Masumi. "Is it true that Sakura Kaede has set her eyes on you?"

"Oh god", Female Natsuru thought to herself. The question had reminded her of how much she despised Kaede, what better time to bash on her than during a newspaper article interview? "Yes it is true", Female Natsuru answered.

"How do you feel about this?", asked Masumi.

Female Natsuru felt a giddy tingle crawl up her spine as she was presented with such an opportunity to reveal her _feelings_. "Personally, I can't stand it. I mean it's fine if you're into the same sex, but this person takes it to another level. She obsesses over me, even more so than everyone else and I've no doubt that she would _kill_ for me", ranted Female Natsuru.

She held back a little, but was refreshed to let a little anger out.

"Ah, is that so?", Masumi said as she jotted the notes down. "Next question, rumors have it that you are indeed in a relationship with the male Natsuru Senou, what do you say to this?"

"Oh uhh", Female Natsuru trails off. She thought to herself for a second and recalled something earlier about this, most likely something from Natsuru. It was unclear, but she went with what she could make out from the memory. "Yeah, we are", said Female Natsuru calmly.

She did not realize the repercussions that were to take place from her casual statement. "Why not?", she had thought. It seems interesting enough and Natsuru was an interesting enough guy and she was curious about what being in a relationship entailed. Although Natsuru is the only guy she knows well enough at the moment, what with their Kampfer situation and all. Not only that, Female Natsuru had assumed that by doing this, it could be a message to Kaede to stay away from her. But of course, things don't always go the way you want them to.

"EHHH? Really? I thought it was just a rumor! Since when!", exclaimed Masumi.

"Uhh last night actually!", said Female Natsuru. Now she was just saying whatever came up on her mind.

"LAST NIGHT? What were you two doing last night on a school night?", asked Masumi.

Female Natsuru was at a total loss of words. "Umm..uhh you know! Typical teenager stuff!", said Female Natsuru, as she had no idea what 'typical teenager stuff' was.

"Oh I see, so did you do a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and did he do this, and that...", said Masumi as she demonstrated with her hands.

Still oblivious, Female Natsuru confirms the 'demonstrations'. She has never felt so confused and curious in her short life.

Masumi stood up from her chair to conclude the interview, "Thank you for today, please look forward to the article", she said in a monotone voice. With that, Female Natsuru made her way back to class, unaware of the things that she had unknowingly set in place.


	3. Chapter 3: Stranger to the World

Woo! Chapter 3! Cranked this one out pretty fast O: Be prepared for a convoluted AAAADVENTURE!

Anyways, please enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - Stranger to the World<strong>

Human beings are complicated creatures capable conjuring many emotions and reactions of the like. Many of which are baseless and illogical as some may see it. Emotions come to us without a need for an explanation, as we have become accustomed to feeling 'emotion' and have come to terms of understanding with it.

With that said, the loaded question of 'what exactly is emotion', wouldn't be the hottest topic you'd bring up at parties. But for our heroine sitting attentively in psychology class, such a topic has never been more thought provoking.

As such, the topic for today's lesson was about love and all its associations. How convenient. The teacher had explained all the different variations of love; love for one's possessions, looks, attributes, interests, actions, lifestyle, etc. Along with the basic understanding of love: to genuinely care about one's well-being, and how it leads to intimacy and relationships. She then thought back during the interview for the Newspaper Club, and how she declared her 'relationship' with Natsuru. Sure she cared about Natsuru, even if he had only become aware of her existence not too long ago. She could feel some sort of connection to Natsuru, essentially having been linked to his thoughts and emotions. It may not be the kind of 'love' the teacher was lecturing about, but it was definitely something.

Female Natsuru's thoughts jumped from Natsuru over to Kaede. She shuddered at the thought of someone like her claiming to be in _love _with her, that's not love, that's just a freaky, unhealthy obsession. What kind of person, who says she's in love with you, uses you in attempts to kill your friends?

Female Natsuru then remembers something extremely important, she had not seen Kaede at all today, and this class was the last class before the end of the school day. She had either been avoiding her the entire day, or she really was over at the boys' side, possibly lying in wait to attack Natsuru. But the girls from her class had claimed that she wasn't in her own class either. Something was definitely off; and she had to act quickly before she makes her move, whatever it may be. At the moment, Female Natsuru knew that Natsuru wasn't in any trouble, as she would feel his distress if something were to happen.

"Excuse me sensei", Female Natsuru says as she slowly stands up. "My head is really bothering me, may I have your permission to go to the infirmary?" Normally this kind of excuse wouldn't work for a high school student, but seeing as how Female Natsuru had returned to school from her 'illnesses', it was a valid excuse. After excusing herself from the class, she broke into a sprint towards the courtyard.

As Female Natsuru made her way to the tall, concrete wall topped with barbed wire that separated the boys and the girls, she had noticed a drowned out voice in her head. "Sakura-san?", it echoed. Female Natsuru's eyes widened from this with an, "Oh shi-". Something had interrupted her, pain, which was reverberating from her lower abdomen and crawling out to her entire body. She doubled over and slowly fell to her knees with her arms around her stomach. No doubt he suffered an assault from Kaede by surprise. She had to get to Natsuru, she just had to, and with all her willpower, she forced herself up and shot off at an incredible speed using her Kampfer agility all in one motion. She landed on the boys' courtyard and tumbled over from the disorientation. She quickly recovered, still maintaining some speed and continued to press on in a staggering sprint towards his classroom. Now Female Natsuru could feel pain covering her upper body, like being hit with a barrage of punches. "Dammit Natsuru, at least block or something!", she yelled out.

She prayed that she would make it in time.

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><p>Natsuru was exhausted from all the abuse he had received from the <strong>other<strong> classes about his new supposed, 'girlfriend'. At this point, he wouldn't even bother with trying to explain himself, as he would just be met with outrage and more insults about his blandness. He let out a heavy sigh as he thought about the things that were yet to happen and how much crap he'll get from it.

His daydreaming was broken by, "Senou, Senou-kun, you have a special summons from the Student Council President. It seems urgent", said the teacher. "Ah, and here's a pass to get to the girls' side for you", added the teacher. His heart sunk when he heard this, Shizuku wants to talk to him, she has **never** called him from class. Paranoia took the best of Natsuru, as he walked over to receive the pass, all he could think about was how she was going to make him suffer, all thanks to those lovely rumors.

Natsuru took the pass and looked it over, he noticed a small note attached to the opposite side of the info. "Why does he get to go to the girls' side?", shouted a student as Natsuru made his way out into the hallway. He looked over at the small note. "Come to the roof", it said. Now he was truly worried for his life. But seeing it as how our hero has no choice, he bravely makes his way to death's doorstep, where he may endure the torment of the beautiful demon known as Shizuku. Oh my.

And there he was, waiting on the other side of the door that led to that infamous roof. He opens the door and steps out into the open area of the roof. Much to his joy, the President was nowhere to be found, no, someone else was waiting for him. The girl with the light orange hair stood by the railguard, looking at him, and then let out a small smile. Natsuru didn't know what to make out of the situation. A part of him was glad to see the girl he was infatuated with, but the other part was afraid. Here is the girl that had pretty much turned him down and despised him and sought to see him and his friends dead. What's worse is that he was alone, with no possible chance of rescue or backup.

"What's wrong Natsuru-san?", Kaede said playfully. "Aren't you glad to see me? I'm glad to see you, now we can play for a little."

"What do you mean play for a little?", asked Natsuru.

"I think you and I know very well just what I mean", replied Kaede. "Now that I don't have to worry about hurting my beautiful soulmate, I can do whatever I wish to you", said Kaede passionately.

"So it was your doing!", exclaimed Natsuru. "How did you do it?"

"Oh that's not important right now, I think you should be more worried about yourself", said Kaede. "I'm not going to kill you, no not just yet. I want to watch you squirm. I hate you, you know? Your disgusting face, always getting in between me and my love."

This left Natsuru in a state of shock, never before has he seen such malice and hatred directed toward him by the one he was fond of. In an instant, Kaede was already in front of Natsuru. She geared up for a kick and delivered it with all her might right into his gut. Natsuru was knocked backwards along with the wind out of him. "Damn...that hurt", he mumbled. As he regained his footing, he took aim at Kaede, lifted up his hand, and let loose a fireball. But the fireball was smaller and much slower than usual, as Kaede easily dodged it and advanced towards Natsuru, unleashing a volley of punches. His body felt heavy and slow, "I am in Kampfer mode right?", he thought to himself. Why was he feeling so weak? He couldn't keep up with her punches. Finally she had stopped, only to prepare for another devastating attack. Before Natsuru could react, she sent him flying towards the wall near the entrance with a double iron palm straight to his chest.

He slammed into the wall leaving a small crater and fell to the floor with a sharp grunt. His body was writhing in pain; he tried to look up at Kaede, as she was walking towards him as if she was going for a stroll at the park. Everything was fading away, his consciousness was slipping, what could he possibly do in his current condition, he was at the mercy of Kaede. Then he let himself slip into the darkness as he closed his eyes, and fell unconscious.

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><p>When Natsuru had come to, he found himself lying in a bed; he was most likely in the infirmary, as the bed was small and the mattress stiff as a board. He attempted to sit up, but flinched from the pain of his wounds from earlier. Everyone had gathered in the infirmary when Female Natsuru found him and brought him here. Female Natsuru had just finished explaining herself and the situation to Akane, Mikoto, and Shizuku.<p>

"This is all your fault then!", shouted Mikoto. "If you'd have just never come, Natsuru wouldn't have gone through this!"

"That's not fair, everything was beyond my control. And what exactly would you have me do? Just disappear?", rebutted Female Natsuru.

"That's exactly what I want", said Mikoto as her hair turned white and drew her sword.

"Mikoto, put down your weapon", ordered Shizuku sternly. "You're being illogical. I understand that news of this is a shock to you and to the both of us. (Akane + Shizuku) But even if you did kill her, it would only make things worse. Kaede would no doubt come to seek out revenge on all of us."

"Let me ask you this", Shizuku said as she looked over to Female Natsuru. "Why did you decide to keep this a secret from us?"

"I know that you must feel a little betrayed, but I meant no harm in doing so", Female Natsuru said sincerely. "We didn't know whether or not Kaede knew about this ordeal, so we thought it was best to keep quiet about it, so as not to cause unwanted attention if everyone were to take action."

"Well so much for your little plan", the red haired Akane said with her Gehewr aimed at Female Natsuru. "You've only caused more trouble being involved!"

"I had no cho-", Female Natsuru said, but was interrupted by Shizuku.

"Calm down, both of you", Shizuku ordered. Now she was getting irritated. "Now is not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves."

"I don't care!", shouted Mikoto.

"We should just kill her now!", added Akane. "For all we know, she could be lying and possibly be in cahoots with Ka-"

Akane was interrupted by a thud and the scream of pain coming from Natsuru, who was now on the floor. They all rushed over to him. "Stop…fighting", he said with difficulty. As Female Natsuru made her way to help him off the floor, she was pulled back by the collar by Mikoto.

"Don't you touch him", she snapped.

"But I-"

"You've already done more than enough", Mikoto said as she turned her back towards Female Natsuru.

Shizuku and Akane guided Natsuru slowly back to the bed, where he sat down. "You guys need to stop fighting", he said. "This wasn't her fault, so leave her alone."

"But! She could be one of them!", said Mikoto.

"No, she isn't. Please believe me, everything that happened to me was my own fault. I was too careless. She was only doing what I had told her to do. And she was the one who brought me to the infirmary right?", said Natsuru as he looked over to Female Natsuru. "Trust me, she's one of us."

Female Natsuru looked up as she knew Natsuru was covering for her.

"If that is what you say, then I'll take your word for it", said Shizuku.

"Well aright, if Natsuru is okay with it, then so am I", added Akane.

"Whatever!", Mikoto said with a scoff before storming out of the infirmary.

"Wait! Mikoto!", shouted Akane.

"Just leave her, she usually gets like this from time to time, she'll be okay", explained Natsuru.

"More importantly, how are you feeling? Are you okay?", asked Shizuku.

"Surprisingly, I feel fine. In fact, I think I feel better than when I met with Kaede on the roof", said Natsuru as he stood up and stretched his limbs. "I felt so weak for some reason when I was attacked by Kaede, but I feel fine now!"

"Hmm, that's interesting. Based off of what that Natsuru told us, I think the problem may be connected to you two splitting. It's possible that when you two split, your powers may have been split accordingly as well", said Shizuku. "I think a test is in order."

The 4 of them made their way to rooftop where Natsuru was attacked. It was midday and almost the entire faculty and student body had gone home.

Shizuku guided Natsuru to the center of the open area. "Stand right here", she said. She then made her way across from him and turned to face him. "Now I want you to attack me with everything you've got", said Shizuku.

"What? Why do you want me to do that?", asked Natsuru.

"Just do it, I'll be fine", said Shizuku.

Natsuru thought back to the time where he had conjured his first fireball while fighting Akane. He recalled the thoughts he had during that time and pictured the fireball in his head. He could feel the intense heat originating from the palm of his hand, but was not singed by the fire. Much to his surprise, the fireball he had created was not what he had expected. It was huge, about 4 to 5 times the size of his normal fireballs. The massive fireball left his palm with no effort made by him with a tremendous initial velocity. Shizuku's eyes widened as she saw the flaming ball of death fly towards her; she could feel the blistering heat hitting her face. She quickly jumped out of the way barely making it past the large fireball as it whizzed past her and made its way towards Akane and Female Nasturu, who were spectating. Female Natsuru quickly jumps in front of Akane, who was frozen in place. She clenched her right hand into a fist and nailed the fireball with an uppercut, like a shoryuken. The fireball spiraled into the air where it made a large explosion. Everyone was left staring at the carbon remains of the once great fireball.

"What the hell…", said Natsuru.

Shizuku was left speechless. It was impossible, how could his power have multiplied? Although she didn't know the specifics behind the separation of the two or the nature of the Kampfer avatars, she had assumed with basic logic that his power would have decreased. Which makes sense, if you were to split a battery into two separate entities, you would naturally get two batteries that have less of a charge than when they were combined. What could possibly be affecting Natsuru now than when Kaede had attacked him and claimed that he felt weaker than ever? She had a hypothesis.

"Hey Natsuru", Shizuku said as she looked over at Female Natsuru. "Where were you when you said you started feeling the punches from Kaede?"

"The hallway of the boys' side", Female Natsuru plainly replied.

"Hmm, would you mind going over to the boys' side outside the school gate? There's something I would like to see", asked Shizuku. "We'll meet up with you after we're done."

Female Natsuru nodded and left without a word. The three waited for a little while until they were sure that she had reached her destination.

"Now Natsuru, try shooting a fireball at me again", said Shizuku.

Natsuru pictured the fireball in his mind again and fired it with all his power. But this time, he didn't feel the same scorching heat of the fireball at his palm; instead he saw a pathetic fireball, much like the one he shot at Kaede. It was slow and Shizuku had just effortlessly sidestepped to avoid it. It flew by and disintegrated into the air with a puff of smoke…

"Now I think I understand", said Shizuku out loud. "Well, let's go get the other Natsuru shall we?"

"Wait, what do you mean? Do you know the cause of my weakness?", asked Natsuru.

"Yes, I'll explain it when we get to her so I won't have to repeat myself", replied Shizuku.

Female Natsuru was waiting for them to meet up with her. All the while, she was thinking to herself if she really was causing nothing but trouble for Natsuru. They've only met less than 24 hours ago, and yet, she has already given him problems. Female Natsuru looked down at her feet and felt a strong sense of guilt; this was her first time feeling such a thing. It kept tugging at her like some annoying dog that wouldn't let go of your bag. She has never felt so dejected before.

"Hey!" Female Natsuru looked and saw Natsuru along with Shizuku and Akane walking towards her.

"Ohai!", she replies with a forced smile.

"Are you okay?", asked Natsuru.

Female Natsuru simply nods and cracks another smile. Shizuku clears her throat to get everyone's attention.

"I think I know the reason as to why you were feeling so weak, Natsuru", said Shizuku. She points at Female Natsuru. "It has something to do with her. It seems that the strength of your power depends on the distance between you and her. That's why you were feeling so weak, while you were at the rooftop of the girls' side; she was all the way over at the boys' side. Although I don't know the exact distance where you start feeling weaker, I can only guess that it is within 30 meters."

"Wow, you're not the Student Council President for nothing!", complimented Natsuru.

"Ah, have you started to finally see me as a woman?", prodded Shizuku.

"No! I mean uhh-anyways! I should get going, it's getting dark", Natsuru said nervously.

"If that's the case, I should come along", said Akane.

"No no, it's okay Akane. I can't trouble you to do that. I should be okay, as long as I have her with me!", Natsuru said as he looked to Female Natsuru. She avoided his glance and shifted her gaze to the floor.

"W-well okay then, please be careful", said Akane.

"I shall see you two later, be on your guard", said Shizuku.

With that, Natsuru and Female Natsuru left for Natsuru's house. It was quiet and the air was a little stiff. "Hey, are you okay?", asked Natsuru with a worried look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine", replied Female Natsuru. This only made her feel worse. Not only did she bring about more trouble for Natsuru, but he was showing so much undeserved kindness towards her. Although it was unintentional, it was like adding injury to insult, even though she knew that he sincerely harbored good intentions towards her.

Natsuru and Female Natsuru made their way into the house, only to be met with more silence. Natsuru knew that something was definitely wrong with her, but couldn't wrap that dense head of his around the problem. "Hey, talk to me. Even though you say otherwise, I know something's wrong, so please, talk to me. I feel bad not being able to do anything for you", he said in a gentle voice.

"…Stop it", Female Natsuru mumbled.

"Huh? Stop what?"

"Stop it…please stop, I don't deserve your kindness", Female Natsuru choked. She looked down and something overtook her, she felt something wet running down her face, tears, that was new for her too. She slowly slumped to her knees as Natsuru followed her down, grabbing her arms. "All I've done is cause you harm and trouble. I couldn't even help you when you were being attacked by Kaede. Maybe Mikoto is right, maybe I should just disappear", Female Natsuru quietly said.

"No way! I'd be dead for sure if you were to leave! Everything that's happened wasn't your fault; don't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. Listen, I'm a pretty hopeless guy, so I need you to stick around for a while to help me out if I ever get into any trouble", Natsuru said with a chuckle.

Female Natsuru looked at Natsuru, whose face was gleaming with a kind expression and understanding eyes. "Please?", Natsuru asked with a smile.

Here she was, not even being in existence for a whole day. Yet she has felt the emotions and gone through the motions of decades of a human life. It was definitely a lot for her to take in, as she looked at Natsuru's gentle expression, and felt a sense of, dare I say, love. Being loved. And returning that love. As she, someone who has no connections in this world and has brought about trouble to the only person she has consciously ever known, from her perspective, receives neither punishment nor malice. But instead, is shown kindness and forgiveness in this world she barely knows.

Her vision blurs, her deep blue eyes begin to water and relinquishes herself to the man in front of her. Natsuru holds her tight and fast, as her body trembled in his grasp and as she tightens her grip on him, she lets out small whimpers of a cry and buries her head into his chest. This wasn't the first time someone had cried in his arms. When he and Mikoto were younger, she would always cry when she got hurt and would go running to his arms. But this was different; it was a feeling he had never felt before, is this that warm, fuzzy feeling that people have always talked about? Something had just felt right about it, as he looked down and saw her face, it only made him want to hug her tighter. Natsuru had come to an important realization today. The girl in his arms was indeed special and undoubtedly different from the rest. Natsuru closed his eyes and rested his chin on her head, comforting her as she let her anguish pour out.

He had a feeling that this was the start of something new.

* * *

><p>Sum notez:<p>

I realize that I made Kaede pretty damn crazy lol. But it's all in good fun I swear.

I personally don't like to add honorifics in character speech in my writing, because it seems a little weird to me. But then I'll go ahead anyway and add them at other times just cause it sounds weird when I say it in my head without the honorific. Yes, strange pet peeve of mine ._.

The last section of the chapter wasn't intended to be super gooey and lovey stuff. I just wanted to convey some deep emotional stuff without being too blunt or sacrificing formality. In any case, I hope it's enjoyable.

This is my first big fanfiction story. And I was honestly worried that no one would like it or if my storytelling wasn't up to par with the other great authors here. But I am ecstatic to see the positive feedback I've been getting, means a lot to a newbie like me :D So expect to see more and more chapters in the future unless I run out of ideas. Please feel free to comment or give me a few pointers on how to improve my story or some new ideas. THYAAAAANKS.


	4. Chapter 4: The Date

****This one took a lot longer than I expected, I found myself sitting and staring as I just couldn't think of what to continue with next. Work and Skyrim also took up a large portion of my time (mostly Skyrim :3)

But here it is! I hope you enjoy my attempt of a love filled chapter! R&R pliz

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 - The Date<strong>

Natsuru had lived a pretty average life up until now; waking up the in morning, eating, school, come home, sleep, rinse and repeat. Although he surprisingly showed promise in his schoolwork by being ranked in the top 10 of his class. Other than that, all he had to his name was the house he lived in, and the money that his parents constantly sent him. Not to mention his kind personality, which, unfortunately, didn't get him too far with the girls. You know what they say, nice guys finish last.

Of course, all that changed on that forcibly fateful night, where he was destined to become a Kampfer. He was coming home from school when all of a sudden; he was attacked by the badmouthed redhead we now know as Akane. Although to our hero, becoming a Kampfer was like the epitome of bad luck for him, but in reality he became more popular than ever, especially with the girls. And as we all know, he was too thickheaded to realize this. Perhaps his thick-headedness would come to change as well, as he sat up from his makeshift bed on the floor of his room and looked over at the person that occupied his bed. She had her back towards him, as she lay on her side. Her figure was clearly shown as the blanket that covered her created a silhouette of her body. Natsuru enjoyed this sight, as he ran his eyes from her shoulder down to her legs, making out every detail of her voluptuous curves.

He stood himself up and outstretched his arms towards the ceiling as he awoke from his slumber. Thankfully, it was Sunday; he let out a smile along with a refreshing deep breath and a long exhale as he looked at his clock. 10 A.M. it was still pretty early. He looked over to the girl in his bed, as she was slowly getting up and rubbing her eyes while mumbling something.

"Good morning", Natsuru said.

"Gooooood morning…", Female Natsuru said with a yawn. She stretched her arms and turned to face Natsuru. She had a silly expression on her face and her hair was down. It was a little frizzled and messy as a result from the pillow, still, she had that erotic look to her. She was wearing one of Natsuru's plain white tees which fit her quite large, except for the chest, where large watermelons seem to be having trouble containing themselves behind the shirt. She was still rubbing her eyes as she took off the blanket and sat cross-legged on the bed facing Natsuru. She might as well not have been wearing anything below, as Natsuru couldn't even tell if she was wearing anything.

Natsuru's face turned took on a mild red as he was taking in the view. Female Natsuru opened her eyes and met his gaze with an innocent smile. But something caught her peripherals.

"Nice!", she said as she bursted into laughter.

Natsuru stood there, confused. Was it something on his face? He just stood there in confusion as he watched Female Natsuru roll around the bed in laughter.

"What are you laughing at?", he asked.

She pointed to the thing protruding from his boxers. He looked down and shouted in embarrassment as he turned to his drawer to put on a pair of jersey shorts. Female Natsuru fell back onto the bed laughing hysterically. What kind of guy doesn't notice this kind of thing? Oh yeah, Natsuru would. Once he had secured his package, he turned back around to Female Natsuru, who was now sitting up on the bed, still laughing. Her face seemed to brighten, even more so with that smile of hers that was so friendly yet elegant. He recognized this feeling. It was like when he had met Sakura Kaede for the first time, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was all coming back to him, that fuzzy feeling when you think about someone you like. He was confused, how could he have developed feelings for this girl already? There was no way, he had barely met her, and on top of that, he doesn't even know much about her. And yet, there it was, this strange feeling that he had felt for one person for so long, rising up like a bubble and taking shape as the woman in front of him.

All of a sudden, Female Natsuru ceased her laughing and quickly looked down. Her heart was beating faster than ever, and her face had turned a bright red, as she tried to hide it from Natsuru. She read it, his mind, all of it, in as much detail as you could ask for. Maybe how much of his mind she could read also depended on the distance as well?

Natsuru noticed that Female Natsuru had gotten quiet. "H-Hey, what's wrong?", he asked taking a step towards her.

"NOTHING!", she yelled in embarrassment and threw a pillow at his face.

"Hey!", shouted Natsuru. "Don't go throwing stuff at me randomly!"

"Whatever!", snapped Female Natsuru. "Could you please just get me some pants?"

Natsuru complied with a heavy sigh as he turned to his drawer and started rummaging around for some clothes. If she weren't so cute at the moment, Natsuru would have just walked out the room. Then he realized, he didn't have any clothes for her. Aside from the outfit that he wore when he went out shopping with Akane, which was pretty much all he had. He took the outfit from the drawer and handed it to Female Natsuru.

"Here you go", he said.

"Ehhhh? These clothes again? I've worn these so many times though!", she whined.

"But these are the only ones I have, unless we go shopping for more", said Natsuru.

Female Natsuru's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Although she only knows what shopping is like through Natsuru's eyes, it piqued her interest. She was still a woman after all. Natsuru could tell that he had just opened up Pandora's Box.

"Please~", she said with a large smile while looking up at Natsuru with the puppy dog eyes.

Why not? They had the entire day to themselves and he was wondering what they could possibly to do for the day. "Alright then", Natsuru said with a laugh.

"You two seem to be hitting it off quite well!", said Disemboweled Tiger. "Sleeping in the same room, and now you two are going on your first date! How exciting."

"D-D-D-Date?", stuttered Natsuru. "It's not a date! We're just going to go shopping for some clothes!"

"Whatever! Might as well call it a date; show her around and all that stuff.", said Disemboweled Tiger. "And at the end of the day, you can take her to a nice restaurant, look her deep in the eyes, and confess your lo-", Disemboweled Tiger was cut off as Natsuru picked him up and hurled him towards the trash can.

"A date sounds like fun!", said Female Natsuru. "Let's go!"

Natsuru let out a heavy sigh," Fine, fine, we'll go", he said. "Go take a shower and get ready, I'll be using the spare bathroom."

* * *

><p>It was a particularly nice day outside. It was summer, and the sun was high up in the sky with small clouds scattered about. A truly beautiful day. Natsuru was waiting in front of the house as he took a deep breath and smiled at this sight. Female Natsuru came running out of the house as if she was late for something.<p>

"Sorry for making you wait!", she said.

She was on a roll. Natsuru was speechless as he watched the fair maiden run towards him with the bright sun in her face, which seemed to make her look all the more majestic. He only became more and more interested in her as time went on; it was nice, getting to spend the day with an attractive woman. This was a nice change of pace for Natsuru, all the nonsense at school and all the fights he got himself into isn't necessarily something you'd want to be dealing with on a daily basis.

"Thanks", said Female Natsuru as her face turned a little red.

"Huh? Thanks for what?", Natsuru asked.

"I can read your thoughts remember?", she answered with a chuckle.

Natsuru's face turned red as well, how silly of him to overlook such an important detail. He would have to do his best to avoid that from now on. This would become a challenge in the near future, as he could tell that things were only going to get more complicated with her. Hmmm. 'Her'. Natsuru hasn't ever given it much thought, but now that they'll be sticking around together, it might be hard to differentiate between the two if they had the same name.

"Ugh, why do you call yourself Senou Natsuru anyway?", he asked.

"Well, because you gave me the name obviously!", Female Natsuru answered.

"I guess you're right…But we're gonna have to give you a different name, in order to avoid confusion. Not to mention that it's weird for me to be calling my own name to get your attention", said Natsuru.

"That makes sense", Female Natsuru said as she thought about it as well. "Alright, give me a new one!"

"Oh uhh, I don't have to pick it you know, it is _your_ name after all", Natsuru said.

"I don't know any names!", Female Natsuru helplessly said. "And I want you to pick one for me."

"Well alright", said Natsuru as he quickly thought of a name. "How about Natsu_**me**_?"

"Oh! That's a good one! It's so similar yet so different", said **Natsume** with excitement. "Does it mean anything?"

"Yeah, it does actually", said Natsuru. "It literally means, '_summer eyes_'."

"How fitting!", said Natsume. "Now then, let's get going!", Natsume said as she grabbed Natsuru's hand and took off.

"Wait! Do you even know where you're going!", shouted Natsuru.

Natsume came to a complete stop and looked around for a second. "No idea...", she said honestly.

"You are definitely something else", Natsuru said with a laugh.

* * *

><p>The two arrived at the shopping plaza in no time at all, it was only about 15 minutes away from the house by foot. Natsume was bedazzled as she looked around the well-constructed shopping complex that was bustling with consumers of all ages. Even though she technically came to this place once before, this was her first time <em>she<em> came to this place. Natsuru himself was a little worried about coming here; there's a good chance that they would probably see some people from school. But he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, because here he was, on an apparent date, with one of the prettiest and most popular girls in school. Although Natsuru did go on a date with Shizuku, also one of the three beauties of the school, he had a pretty good feeling about this one. Maybe because he knew what kind of person the President was, someone who usually has an ulterior motive for things and works behind the scenes. In any case, he felt comfortable, truly comfortable, which was a first for him given his reputation with girls and his obliviousness.

"First things first, let's go get you some new clothes", said Natsuru.

"Okay!~ Let's go!", Natsume said with excitement.

They made their way through the open-air shopping complex that was lined with shops and stores of all kinds. As they made their way through the complex, Natsuru led Natsume to a female clothing store his mother used to take him to all the time when she wanted to go shopping. Of course all the styles have changed from back then and the store's inventory was now more modernized to adapt to the new trends and whatnot. This store in particular carried Western fashioned clothes, Natsuru's mother was also very interested in Western culture. Natsume looked around the store and all the different pieces of clothing on the racks. She was like a little kid in a candy shop, pulling out everything that stood out to her and then some.

The two had only visited a couple stores when they noticed that several hours have already passed, they were on their way to get something to put in their empty stomachs. In the end, Natsuru was left carrying three large bags filled with women's clothing. He was surprised that Natsume had such a taste for clothes; he had to admit she had a good sense of fashion. He could tell that she was as happy as can be, as she had some sort of spring in her step. She quickly sidestepped in front of Natsuru and threw her arms around him with along with a "Thank you".

She stepped back a little, with her arms still around the surprised Natsuru and looked up at him. "Sorry I got a little carried away", Natsume said with an innocent smile. "Here", she said as she reached to help Natsuru with the bags.

"Nope!", Natsuru said as he evaded her helping hand. "I already told you I'd take care of it".

"But I feel bad, at least let me carry something!"

"How about this, you go find us a place to eat and I'll handle this stuff."

"Mmmmm, okay then."

Luckily for them, Natsuru was pretty well off, with his parents sending him ridiculous amounts of money every month, finances were not a problem for him. He was generally a humble person, and was glad at the fact that he was able to share his good fortune with someone who truly appreciated it.

But Natsuru felt that something was wrong, or rather, it was right. Too right, if that makes any sense. There never really was a 'normal' day for Natsuru, his 'normal' days consisted of dealing with talking stuffed animals, psycho-bitches from hell, and the usual brawls. So far, today has been quite an enjoyable and peaceful one for our hero, might as well enjoy it while he can!

"That place was pretty good!", said Natsume. The two were returning home from an entire day of shopping and had just left the local café. It was nearing the evening and the sun was retreating upon the horizon, leaving a warm yellow gradient across the sky, it was a good day indeed.

"Oh really? I'm glad you liked it", Natsuru said.

"I think I should really get a job."

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Because I want to pay you back someday!", she said with a smile. "Maybe I should go work at that café we were just at?"

"No way! I don't want you working at a place like that", Natsuru said pompously.

"Whaaat? Why not!"

"Did you see their uniforms? Too revealing!"

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"All the guys, hell, even the girls will be fawning over you!"

"I'll just get more tips then!"

"That's not the point!"

Natsume looked over at him and saw that he was holding something back. He was also a bit flustered, as if something was on the tip of his tongue, but never escaped his mouth. Then it hit her. Natsuru couldn't say it, but he was worried about random guys checking out her junk, simply put. Natsume giggled a little, which left Natsuru a little bewildered.

* * *

><p>When they arrived home, Natsume immediately busied herself by sorting her new clothes in her newly acquired bedroom, which was the spare bedroom that was across Natsuru's room. Natsuru was resting on his bed from the long day.<p>

"Hey player, how'd it go?", asked Disemboweled Tiger.

"I just took her to the mall and helped her with all the shopping, it was pretty fun", said Natsuru.

"What? You're telling me you didn't do anything with her at all? You disappoint me"

"Like I care! Get your mind out of the gutter, damn toy. I was more than fine with hanging out with her just so you know."

"Well why don't you take the initiative? You can have your cake and eat it too. You're gonna have to realize the needs of a woman sometime you know."

"..."

"Hey I've got an idea, the night is still young, you should take her out for dinner, show her the night life and all that."

Natsuru thought about it for a little while, he wasn't exactly in the mood to cook and this was a good opportunity to show her around some more.

"That's not a bad idea I guess. Since when did you start being helpful?"

"Oh shut up, just go on your little romantic date. And this time I'll expect to see some progress!"

"Yeah yeah, just watch the house for us while we're gone."

Natsuru made his way over to Natsume's room and knocked on the door.

"Hey…Na-Natsume, we're gonna go out to eat tonight, so come downstairs when you're ready", said Natsuru. He was still not used to calling her that name.

"Okay, I'll be down in just a sec then."

Natsuru waited by the door as he thought of his game plan for tonight. There was that walk-in restaurant he'd always go to that had some amazing food, hopefully it wouldn't be packed tonight. After that, he'll just have to go with the flow and see what happens. He had never taken a girl out on a date before, as sad as that may sound, so he was obviously inexperienced with this. He wasn't too worried…yet.

"Alright, let's go!", said Natsume.

Natsuru turned to her and noticed her new outfit. She was wearing a pair of blue denim thigh shorts, a pair of sandals, and a black tank top along with a shoulder shirt. They had bought so many clothes that he just lost track. Yet again, Natsuru was left staring at the beauty in front of him and was speechless.

"You like it?", Natsume said as she spread her arms and looked down to inspect the outfit.

"It's a bit…showy."

"So you don't like it?" She said as she looked up.

"No I do! It's just a bit provocative is all."

"Don't worry", she said reassuringly. "This was all meant for your eyes only".

Quite a bold statement. Natsuru was left baffled by her straightforward advance.

"Don't mind the other boys", she said with a wink followed by a laugh.

There was nothing he could possibly hide from her. "L-Let's get going then."

"Okay!"

* * *

><p>"That place was so crowded! Who would've thought we'd see your father's co-workers there!", said Natsume.<p>

"I don't really know all of them, dad's an important person in his company, so that's how they know me I guess." Said Natsuru.

"What does your dad do anyway?"

"He's in the Yakuza, the Yamaguchi* or something like that. That's why he's never home."

"What's a 'Yakuza'?"

"Uhhh, they're like a group of people that are involved in organized crime and the like."

"Really? That sounds dangerous, but those guys back there were pretty nice!"

"That's because they knew that I was their boss's son, they're not always like that."

"Ohh, do you miss your dad?"

"Yeah, sometimes. It gets a little lonely when you live by yourself. But he visits from time to time."

"Don't worry! I'll be keeping you company from now on!", Natsume said with a thumbs up.

"That's right, huh", Natsuru said with a chuckle.

"Hey, where are we going anyway?", asked Natsume.

"There's a place my parents took me to all the time when I was a kid, I remember walking through this park and bright lights at the end, I wonder if the place is still the same."

"Bright lights? What is it?"

"You'll see when we get there", said Natsuru smiling.

As they walked on the path lit by lamp poles, the park seemed to come alive with the essence of nature from the chirping of crickets, to the lukewarm air that still lingered about from the summer sun. Then all of a sudden, the trees and foliage that surrounded them started to open up, leading them into an open vista that overlooked the city. The viewpoint was a large semicircle with railings built on the edges of the circle. The city glowed brightly underneath them as they walked up to the railing.

"Wow! This is amazing, the city looks so beautiful!", said Natsume as she leaned over the rail guards.

Natsuru walked up beside Natsume and rested his arms on the rails. He too took in the breathtaking view before him. It reminded him of his childhood, the days he spent with his parents and their happy household. He looked over to his side, where Natsume stood, still looking at the city. He switched his gaze from her back to the city. Then something caught his hand, something tender and soft. Surprised, he looked down at his hand to see Natsume interlocking her hand with his, she was still looking ahead as her faced became a pinkish red. Natsume turned to meet Natsuru's eyes, his heart seemed to be beating three times as fast as it was before and felt that it was going to jump out of his chest. Their minds became one, was it she that had the thought, or him? Either way, they found themselves with their eyes closed as Natsuru slowly moved in for the kill. And there it was, the sweet, soft lips of hers pressed up against his. Natsume slowly turned her body towards him while bringing her hands up to his chest, she could feel his fast heartbeat that matched hers. Natsuru already had his hands on her curvy waist as he pulled away from her lips only to return with a more passionate kiss. Something took over him, or he finally grew a pair as he went in further. Natsume instinctively let out a muffled moan as she returned the favor. The two recoiled and left each other softly panting for air as they looked into each other's eyes.

Words could not express their thoughts for each other, as they were both left with a loss thereof. They smiled at each other, and then, letting his actions speak for him, Natsuru slowly approached her inviting lips once more.

"Oi oi, nice show! Very nice show...", interrupted a voice.

Natsuru stopped to look at the source of the voice. It came from a guy standing among a group of others, most likely looking for trouble. He was bald and had multiple piercings on his face, the usual looking ruffian. His buddies around him had similar piercings but different wild hairstyles with nasty looks on their faces.

"Hey bro, you mind sharing that fine piece of ass you got next to you?", he said as he pointed at Natsume.

Natsume scowled at him. "I think you should get out of here before you get hurt", Natsuru said as he stepped in front of her.

The group of punks broke out in laughter. "Oh you're funny man", said the bald one as he walked towards Natsuru. He looked past Natsuru and over to Natsume and ran his eyes up and down her body. "Come on little missy, my buddies and I can show you a real good time. So why don't you ditch this loser an-"

Before he could finish, Natsuru had delivered a straight punch to the guy's face, which sent him tumbling back to his group. The group of 5, now down to 4, retaliated with curses and charged at him while screaming at the top of their lungs. Natsuru's Kampfer mode does not change his appearance whatsoever, and he had already switched to it before knocking out the bald guy. Because he is a Zauber type Kampfer, his physical strength isn't necessarily augmented, rather he relies more on his agility and of course his magic in fights. He'd have to hold back on the magic part this time though.

Natsuru effortlessly handled the first two assailants with a straight kick to the first one's stomach, followed by a roundhouse to the second one's face. The remaining two became desperate, both pulling out small knives and charged at Natsuru again. Natsuru sidestepped to the right, avoiding the knife, he then proceeded to grapple the attacker's arm and brought his elbow down to his knees, resulting in a loud crack and a scream of agony. As Natsuru was busy, the remaining assailant tried his luck with Natsume, should be easy enough he thought. After his opponent fell, Natsuru looked up to see a peculiar sight. A rather comical sight actually, Natsuru couldn't help but laugh at the grim sight of a flaming antagonist flying across the air into the pond nearby. He turned to look at Natsume, who was standing with an expression that said 'what?' ._.

"That's a bit much don't you think?", said Natsuru.

"What?", replied Natsume. "Was I supposed to stand there and let him attack me or something?"

"No…I guess you're right", said Natsuru with the sweat drop expression. "Let's just head home."

* * *

><p>"We're home!", yelled Natsume.<p>

"We're home…", Natsuru followed weakly.

"Thanks for everything", said Natsume hugging Natsuru tightly. She then ran up the stairs straight to her room without another word. Natsuru looked at her while she ran up the stairs and caught a glimpse of something frilly, but looked away in embarrassment.

Natsuru entered his room and jumped on his bed and laid there as he stared at the ceiling. He found himself thinking about Natsume and the soft touch of her lips with the warm embrace of her body. He was hoping that they could continue with it just for a little while longer.

"Watcha thinking about?", asked Disemboweled Tiger.

"Nothing that concerns you", replied Natsuru as he turned on his bed.

"Mmmm, well putting that aside, how did things go? Did you finally make a move?"

Natsuru was silent…

"Wow! I'll assume that your silence is a yes. The next step should be easy then."

"Next step? What's the next step?"

"It's simple you see, just get her in bed and then ta-", said Disemboweled Tiger before being interrupted by the knocking on the door.

"Ummm, is it okay if I come in?", asked Natsume sheepishly.

"Oho! Here's your chance! Go get 'em tiger!", said Disemboweled Tiger as Natsuru picked him up and threw him into the trash can.

"Shut the hell up you pervert!", exclaimed Natsuru.

"I'm sorry! Never mind that I asked!", said the surprised Natsume.

"Wait! Hold on!" Natsuru dashed towards the door to open it. There stood the startled Natsume who was already walking away and seemed to already be in her sleepwear. She was wearing a thin white tank top that went down to her thighs.

"Sorry! I was talking to that damn tiger!", he explained.

"Oh, I see! Well I was gonna ask if I could sleep in your room tonight", she asked timidly.

"Huh? Is there something wrong with your room?"

"No it's not that…I just don't like being by myself", she said as she looked away.

'This girl…is too damn cute', thought Natsuru. His thought resonated in her head and as she quickly looked up at him. "C-Can I?", she asked as her face spelled embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah, sure!"

Natsuru moved out of the way as he guided her into his room. "I'll be right back, I have to go get the futon", he said.

"No wait! You don't need to do that"

"But there's only one bed."

"Let's…let's share the bed", Natsume said boldly.

"I-if it's okay with you!", said Natsuru choking his words.

Natsuru had only met one other person who was ballsy enough to always be on the offensive in terms of romance, and that person was Shizuku. He would have never thought that Natsume would also be like that. And yet here he was, sleeping in the same bed as the same person he had his first, consensual, romantic experience with. But this was different, it was awkward actually. He just didn't know what to do in this situation.

It was not long until Natsume had picked up the ball by sneaking her arms around Natsuru, whose back was faced towards her. They both laid in silence as they enjoyed each other's company.

"Hey, what exactly is 'love'?", asked Natsume.

Natsuru was a bit surprised at her question. "Love huh…well if I were to put it in words, it's that strange feeling you get when you think about someone. And you find yourself always thinking about that person no matter where you go. That's my definition anyways."

"That was the corniest definition ever", she said laughing.

"Whatever! You asked!", said Natsuru.

"Yeah yeah, just go to sleep", she said as she tightened her grip on him.

'This girl…', thought Natsuru as drowsiness tugged at him. So far, Natsuru's life has taken a turn for the better, having found someone he may come to commit himself to, and from such an unlikely turn of events. He knew that there was still a serious threat to be dealt with and that things could go both ways for him and the woman next to him. He vowed to himself to keep her safe, no matter what. All that can be done now is to lie in wait and prepare for the battles to come.

* * *

><p>*Yamaguchi-gumi: A very well known Yakuza syndicate that is currently the largest family of Yakuza in Japan.<p>

All comments are welcome, I wasn't too sure myself of how to go about the romance with the two of them, so anything is welcomed!  
>Slight name change ftw! I find it a little strange to have both their names in the same sentence, but hopefully that'll change!<p>

That's all for now! Until next time

つすく！


	5. Chapter 5: State of Affairs

This one really felt like it took forever. WOOOOOOOOOOOO! But it is here! Enjoy

R&R Please!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 – State of Affairs<strong>

The Senou household has usually been a pretty quiet one, of course all that was about to change with the addition of their newest member, Senou Natsume.

"W-W-Wha-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?", erupted Mikoto. As usual, the childhood friend of our protagonist that randomly comes by every morning to cook up some good old breakfast, is shocked to say the least from the latest turn of events. She had barged into Natsuru's room to let him know of her hard work and to present him with yet another dish. Instead, she finds her childhood friend entangled with some tit monster in his bed while he was looking particularly happy about it.

"What the hell are you doing to my Natsuru?", Mikoto said as she drew her blade. At this moment, Natsuru was already up and trying to calm her down. Natsume awoke from the ruckus with an extremely annoyed expression, and stared directly at Mikoto, whose mouth was still running off with questions and death threats alike.

"Would you be so kind as to shut your godamn mouth?", said Natsume with both formality and ferocity.

"Y-You better watch your mouth, or I'll-"

"What, kill me? Don't make me laugh, my magic against your pathetic sword? Who do you think is going to win?"

"Hey hey, come on now, let's just calm down for a second here. Could you please excuse us Mikoto?", said Natsuru.

"Fine! Whatever then!", said Mikoto sounding a little apprehensive. She abruptly stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her, leaving the two in silence.

Natsuru let out a heavy sigh as he turned to Natsume, who was still sitting on the bed with an annoyed face.

"What? She started it!", said Natsume.

"I know I know, but that's just how she is, illogical and always jumping to conclusions", said Natsuru.

"Even so! It's not fair that she labels me as an enemy of some sort because of something that happened that I had no control over", said Natsume.

"Just give her some time, she'll come to her senses eventually. You just have to show her that you can be trusted and that you're not an enemy."

"Well if you say so…", said Natsume as she thought about it.

"Don't worry, she'll come around. Now get dressed, we have to go to school!"

It was already starting to get hot, as the rays of the summer sun bore down on the three high schoolers. Mikoto had on her summer season uniform, with the only difference being that the sleeves on the uniform button up and undershirt were much shorter. Natsume already had the summer uniform on, as usual, but sported black calf socks in place of her leggings. The current situation only made it more hot and uncomfortable for Natsuru, as he was caught in between a silent and awkward war. Every other second, either Natsume or Mikoto would exchange looks with one another, with Mikoto's looks having the most zeal in them. He knew he had to break the ice somehow, but did not know how to do it.

"Man this weather is so hot! But the cool evening summer breeze at night sure feels nice!", Natsuru said trying to spark up a conversation.

"Ohhh? So I assume you were out last night, eh Natsuru?", asked Mikoto without looking at him.

"Yeah, I just felt like getting out of the house once in a while to get something to eat!", said Natsuru.

"Ah, I see. And I bet you two had a real nice time didn't you?"

Natsuru opened his mouth to say something, but Natsume beat him to it. "Yes we did actually, he took me out and showed me around, among other things", Natsume said with her eyes closed.

Mikoto looked over to Natsume with a shocked face. "What do you mean 'other things'?", asked Mikoto.

"Don't worry about it", said Natsume as a smile formed on her face. She then slyly held Natsuru's hand, which took him by surprised as he quickly looked at her while his face turned red. It's a good thing Mikoto didn't notice at the time, or else there would have been hell to pay. The three continued their trek towards their high school that slowly came into view, along with other students walking in the same direction. They had reached the front area of the school, where the male and female students were split to their respective sides. Mind you, Natsuru and Natsume had been holding hands up to this point, and of course, they drew a lot of attention. All the while Mikoto was luckily oblivious to this fact and kept to herself.

"Well uhh, I'll see you after school, okay?", said Natsuru.

"No way! What if Kaede comes back and I'm not around? You'll be defenseless like last time!", reasoned Natsume as she let go of his hand to turn to face him.

"But you can't, the school is separated by gender remember? And if I were to have you walking around with me on the boys' side, I might as well have Kaede beat me to a pulp."

"…but", said Natsume as she looked at him with eyes of concern.

"Really, I'll be fine! This time, I'll be super careful to stay out of trouble.", said Natsuru reassuringly.

"Well…okay then…if you say so…", said Natsume. She gave him a quick hug and then ran off towards the girls' side, leaving Mikoto scowling at him.

"IDIOT!", she said as she stomped her way to the girls' side as well.

And with that, Natsuru walked towards the boys' side letting out another sigh. Now he's back to school, probably having to deal with more shenanigans and whatnot than usual. It seems as if things had never changed for him after all.

* * *

><p>Natsume and Mikoto silently make their way into the courtyard of the school, still maintaining that barrier of awkwardness between each other. They noticed a group of girls huddled around each other near the wall of the stairs. The two walked over to see what all the commotion was about.<p>

"Hey, what are you guys looking at?", asked Natsume. The group of girls all turned around in unison to face her, and then ran away with tears in their eyes. Natsume noticed something on the wall where the girls were huddled; it was the Newspaper Club's article on her interview from the other day, included with pictures of both her and Natsuru.

"Senou Natsuru's Love Life", said Natsume as she read the title out loud. "Female Senou Natsuru plus Male Senou Natsuru's passionate relationship. They have gone all the way, and more…" Natsume then looked over to Mikoto, whose mouth was practically on the floor after reading the artcle. "What does 'all the way' mean?", Natsume asked while pointing at the phrase on the article.

Mikoto simply stood there with a pale face and the same expression. Natsume shrugged and headed towards class, where she then ran into the three stooges. She looked at them with a blank expression before they backed away in fear of angering her again. As she walked into her classroom, she was greeted by the cries of agony and grief of the girls, mourning over the news of Natsume's apparent relationship with Natsuru. She did not fully grasp nor comprehend the gravity of the situation she had put herself in, and more importantly, Natsuru. Akane walked up to Natsume and grabbed her by the shoulder before asking, "Is this true?"

"Is what true?", asked Natsume honestly.

"Are you and Natsuru-san really in a relationship?", asked Akane.

"Uhh define relationship…"

"Well, I guess it's when you go out on dates with someone and be intimate with them."

"Oh, well then yes", said Natsume timidly as she recalled memories of last night.

"No way!", said Akane as if she had just gotten dumped. "That's not fair", she said under her breath.

"By the way, what does 'go all the way' mean?"

"Y-Y-You went all the way with Natsuru…on your first date?"

"Well that's why I'm asking! I don't know what that means!"

Akane escorted Natsume out of the classroom to a place somewhere beyond the hearing range of the girls or anyone else for that matter, the rooftop.

"Alright then", said Akane as she walks up to Natsume. She then puts her mouth up to her ear to whisper the definition. As she is doing this, Natsume's face is becoming redder by the second along with some 'ahh's' of revelation.

"It's supposed to feel good? That sounds painful!", said Natsume as she tried to pull down her skirt.

"SHHHHHH, do you want people to hear you?", snapped Akane, even though there was no one around. "And yes, it's a symbol of ultimate intimacy between a man and a woman, and in some cases between the same genders but that's a little weird to me! I'm just going to assume that nothing like that happened, it's probably just a misunderstanding made by Masumi. I mean, there's no way that he would be interested in you, right?", said Akane with a laugh. At this point she was basically talking to herself in reassurance that such a thing is not likely. Ignorance is bliss.

"Y-Yeah", said Natsume hesitantly.

"What're you stuttering for, you hiding something, huh bitch?", said the red headed Akane with a smile and a gun pointed towards Natsume.

"Ah! No! Nothing! I swear!", said Natsume frantically.

"Heh, I don't believe you, you better start talkin' befo-", said Akane before being interrupted by the bell.

"Tch- next time then", said Akane as she ran towards the door to class.

Natsume let out a heavy sigh, she dodged a bullet there, as it were. She briskly jogged to the door and down the stairs towards her classroom. She was a little worried about Natsuru's safety, as she could not assess his situation subconsciously due to their distance. Strategically, Natsuru is in the most dangerous position at this moment. If an unprecedented attack were to occur either from Kaede or her lackeys, Natsuru would surely be in trouble. Shizuku and the others have not seriously discussed the issue in regards to the Kaede threat and Natsuru's vulnerability. It was now up to her to organize everyone and make the first move.

* * *

><p>Natsuru just knew that he would not be able to easily escape the repercussions of the events that had taken place in the past couple of days. As soon as he entered the boys' side, he could feel the envious aura of the guys around him, giving him cold stares and the like. Seriously, were these guys' love lives so sad that they would get jealous over this one person? Natsuru awkwardly made it to his classroom somehow and sat in his seat in hopes that no one will bother him. As if that wish will ever come true, Higashida was already on his way to Natsuru's desk.<p>

"Nasturu! My good friend, how are you today?", asked Higashida, obviously wanting something from him.

"What do you want Higashida…", asked Natsuru lazily.

Higashida walked to the side of his desk and proceeded to drop to his knees and bowed before Natsuru. "Please! I have a favor to ask of you!", he begged.

"Nope"

"Oh come on! Just hear me out!", said Higashida now looking at Natsuru from below.

"Is it about the female Senou Natsum-Natsuru?"

Higashida just smiled innocently at him.

"Alright fine, what is it?"

"Well, as the president of the Hottie Research Club, I-"

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish!"

"I already know where you're going with this! So no!"

"It's not what you think! Well it probably is what you think, but please just hear me out before you make a decision first!"

"Alright alright get on with it."

"First of all, I just want to say NO NUDES. But I do want to take some pictures of her, in uniform only of course! That's it, I swear!"

"Hmmm…"

"Come on Natsuru! I know that you guys are going out and whatever, but it's not fair to keep her all to yourself! What about the rest of us?"

"That last part does not make any sense, and what do you mean we're 'going out'?"

"Huh? It's true isn't it? The Newspaper Club printed out an article saying you two were definitely in a relationship."

'Oh god, what kind of misunderstanding is going on now…', thought Natsuru. "Ugh whatever, that Newspaper Club girl is crazy anyway. Also, I don't know why you're asking me for permission, it's not like I own her you know. You should just ask her yourself if you want it so bad."

"That wouldn't work! I'm asking you because you have more pull with her since she's your girlfriend and all!"

At this point, Natsuru had learned that when he tried to clear misunderstandings, they would only get worse. So he decided to remain silent as he was tired from putting in the effort that usually led to more trouble.

"Fine, fine, I'll ask her and we'll see what she says."

"Thank you, you are a true friend!", said Higashida as he walked away.

The homeroom teacher had entered and ordered everyone to return to their seats, class was about to start. Natsuru would have to inquire Natsume about this whole 'relationship' thing later. He was honestly a little happy about this, and also frightened at the same time. He didn't even want to imagine Kaede's reaction to this gossip. He cringed as he remembered the excruciating pain in his body that was delivered by her. At least for now, he was safe. He knew there was no way that she would be able to attack him while he was in class and he would definitely not be tricked as easily as last time. He'll have to be extremely cautious from here on out.

* * *

><p>Natsuru was sitting in his desk looking pretty bored already. As the teacher droned on with his lesson, Natsuru drifted off into his thoughts. The first thing that came into his mind was Kaede, not the one he used to know, but the one who is set out to make him suffer for her own amusement. 'How could someone like her have such a twisted personality?', he thought. Each time he thought about her, it made him realize the many attributes of hers that were total turn-offs. It was all merely infatuation up to this point where he saw her true colors, I mean, how many guys continue to chase after a girl after knowing she wants you dead? Maybe she didn't always have an evil inner personality, maybe it was the Moderators that had changed her or something. Natsuru didn't want to think about it anymore, they knew very little about the Moderators, so pondering about it just made his head spin.<p>

His daydreaming was interrupted as a faculty member called out the teacher into the hallway outside the classroom. They talked for about a minute or so, and everyone in the class was turning to their friends and having their own conversations amongst themselves.

"Alright everyone, quiet down. I have an announcement", said the teacher as he walked to the front of the class. "Apparently some decisions and changes have been made by the administration, I don't really know the details myself, but I guess this will be an interesting turn of events for our school. One of your fellow students is being transferred to this class."

"What? Was the announcement really necessary? Who cares?", said the class.

"Oh right, this is a transfer from the girls' side."

The class erupted in shock and awe as they stood up and proceeded to shout in joy.

"Quiet down! Anyways, please welcome your new classmate", said the teacher as he looked past the doorway of the classroom.

At this point, Natsuru wasn't too interested in this, rather, he was still mulling over the whole Kaede business. Until of course, he looked up and saw who the transfer was. And wouldn't you know it.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Senou Natsume, I'll be in your care from now on", said Natsume calmly.

"EHH?", shouted the class in unison. "Why is she here? One of the three beauties! This is a dream come true… Did she change her name?"

"Sit next to me!"

"Screw that! Over here!"

"Enough!", shouted the teacher. "There aren't even enough chairs you fools. Natsuru, go with your sister here to the faculty room and ask for a new desk."

"Uhh sensei, we're not siblings", said Natsuru.

"Oh, is that so?", said the teacher as he looked over to Natsume. She nodded in agreeance with Natsuru. "Ah I see, I had just assumed you two were siblings from your last name and uncanny resemblance. Well anyways, here's a good opportunity to make a new friend."

All the guys in the class looked at Natsuru, with jealousy and envy in their eyes. Natsuru quickly got up and walked over to Natsume shoving her by her back as he walked out of the classroom. He let out a sigh before, knowing that he will probably become the most hated guy on the boys' side. "What are you doing here?", asked Natsuru. "And _how_ did you get here?"

"What am I doing here? I'm here to support you of course! Can't be too far away from you, you know! Oh, and I just asked the President to transfer me over. She was reluctant at first, but then I convinced her."

'She has that much influence!', thought Natsuru. She was right though, if Kaede were to attack him when he was alone, he'd suffer the same fate as the day before. For some reason, their powers are amplified whenever either of the two are together, but it also has an inverse effect. Within a certain radius, their powers and physical prowess are indeed augmented, but if either one of them were to move outside that certain radius, they would be immensely weakened. It was a good idea to stick together in case any dangers were to arise, but Natsuru didn't expect it to turn out like this.

"Well I guess I'm glad you're here, but now Kaede and her gang aren't the only people that'll be after me…"

"What do you mean?", asked Natsume as she tilted her head.

"Just thinking out loud, anyways, let's get going."

After Natsuru had dragged the desk and chair together all the way back to the classroom, Natsume decided that she wanted to sit right behind him. It was lunch, and a large group of guys who heard about the new transfer came in their class to see it for themselves. Natsume was already surrounded by a bunch of guys trying to strike up a conversation with her all at the same time. All the while, Natsuru sat in his chair trying to ignore the commotion, but he was really bothered by everyone going head over heels for her, this was to be expected though.

"Will you eat lunch with me, Senou-san?", asked multiple boys from the crowd.

"Sorry!", said Natsume as she got up and pushed her way to Natsuru's desk. She grabbed his hand and led him out the door of the classroom. "I'm already eating with someone!" They then made their way to the school cafeteria.

"Come on! Let's go get some yakisoba bread before they run out!", said Natsume leading the way.

"Wait! Hold on!", said Natsuru trying to regain his footing, but was unable to get her to stop.

After somehow maneuvering across the sea of people in the cafeteria, the two managed to get some yakisoba bread, where they then retreated to the empty rooftop to eat in peace. All the guys in the cafeteria were quite stunned to see one of the three beauties actually on the boys' side.

"Finally, some peace and quiet", said Natsuru as he opened the wrapping of the yakisoba bread and took a bite. The rooftop was almost exactly like the one on the girls' side, they sat down against the wall near the door to the stairs. "Now I have something to ask you", he said as he swallowed is food. "Why did you say that we were in a relationship?"

Natsume turned to him, "I thought it'd be interesting. Should I have not said anything?"

"No no, it's not wrong or anything, it's just that…Do you know what a relationship is?"

"Not really", she said as she looked at the bread in her hand. "That's why I was hoping you could show me."

"Oh…well to be honest, I don't really know much about relationships either", said Natsuru with embarrassment.

Natsume giggled. "Well from what I learned, there has to be love in an intimate relationship." She turned to Natsuru. "I don't really understand what love really is yet, but I'll figure it out eventually!"

"You learn pretty fast, for someone who's been living for only a couple days."

"I learned from you!", she said as she held his hand. It took Natsuru by surprise and he immediately started blushing. "Like that, your embarrassment, I can understand it from you like this", she said with a smile. Then her smile turned to a frown. "But what I don't understand are your feelings for Kaede, I may not know much about love, but I know enough to differentiate between a fake love. She treats you so badly, yet you still hold some feelings for her, even though you tell yourself that it's nothing more than infatuation." Natsuru did not know what to say to this, he just looked at her with her head hung low and cursed himself.

"You're wrong! If you truly knew what's on my mind, then you would know that I don't feel that way towards her anymore. The heart and the mind are two different things!", he said.

"Then show me what's in your heart!", she yelled. The two of them fell silent, with their eyes fixed upon each other. Natsuru knew exactly how to show her, he quickly moved closer to her and took her by surprise. They looked at each for a moment, Natsume closed her eyes as Natsuru held her shoulders and slowly moved towards her soft lips.

"Excuse me!", said a voice. They both turned their heads in the direction of the voice.

"So sorry to interrupt such a romantic scene, but we've got some business with you", said Nakao Sayaka as she pointed at Natsume. Nakao Sayaka is the blonde haired tsundere that is one of Kaede's pawns. Surrounding her was the rest of her gang, Yamakawa Ryouka, Ueda Rika, and Minagawa Hitomi. Among them are two Schwert types, one Gewehr, and one Zauber.

Without hesitating, Natsume had already sent a gargantuan fireball towards the group of girls. The group scattered from the incoming fireball but was too late as the fireball exploded with tremendous force, launching Sayaka across the rooftop floor with a hard stop against the chain-linked fence. The three of them looked at the large cloud of smoke where they were once standing, then looked over to Sayaka who was lying unconscious face down on the floor. They didn't expect an attack of that magnitude right from the start, so they were left disorientated and shocked.

Natsume was panting as she was recovering from her attack; she concentrated so much power into it that it left her kneeling, although this fireball was twice the size of the one Natsuru fired at Shizuku the other day. Natsuru quickly kneeled down next to Natsume to lift her up and jump out of the way just in time to avoid a stream of bullets that were headed in their direction. Natsuru retaliated with a burst of medium sized fireballs towards Ryouka, the Gewehr user, while still carrying Natsume over his shoulder. A scream was heard as the timid girl was knocked out by the fireballs. 'Two left', thought Natsuru. Natsume's arm was slung over his shoulder, still breathing heavily. Natsuru knew that with his increased powers, he could easily handle the other two, but was hesitating because Natsume would be vulnerable if he were to attack. He chose to play it safe; he slowly made his way towards the door to the stairwell while keeping an eye on the two remaining white Kampfers. His cautious stride turned into a dash, as he hurried towards the door while supporting Natsume, it swung open before him and made him stop in his tracks.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Natsume looked up to see who the voice belonged to. It was her, it was Sakura Kaede, with that evil look and smile on her face. There was no one that Natsume hated more than this person. "You!", she said. Natsume pushed off of Natsuru's shoulder and staggered in front of him. She raised both of her hands towards Kaede and summoned all her strength and shot out a blazing stream of heat. The last thing she saw was Kaede's shocked face as the scorching heat of her fire engulfed her like a raft in the rapids. With this attack, Natsume lost her balance as the energy left her body rendering her unconscious and collapsed into Natsuru's arms. Natsuru caught her and lifted her up in a bridal carry as he ran for the flaming doorway where Kaede once stood. But something hit his back, it was tingly at first, but it spread throughout his entire body, triggering his pain receptors and paralyzing him in the process. He let out a sharp grunt as he went down to his knees and forced his body to move in vain. He managed to set Natsume down on the floor to turn to the source of the attack. The attack came from the green haired, lightning Zauber type, Hitomi, who was still recovering from the explosion from earlier but had managed to send a ball of lightning Natsuru's way.

"That was a close one", said Kaede as she nonchalantly walked out of the flaming doorway towards Natsuru. There was obvious damage done to her, her clothes were burnt with scorch marks here and there, small burn marks on her skin, and a stream of blood running down her head. "I didn't think that she would be this powerful. But that'll work in our favor."

"Wha…What do you mean?", said Natsuru with difficulty. The effect of the lightning was still running through his body.

"I think you know full well what I mean. For so long I've wanted this one to be mine", said Kaede while moving her hand to touch Natsume's face.

"Don't you touch her!", shouted Natsuru with ferocity. Kaede backed off, only to erupt in a hysteric laughter.

"You think you own her?", asked Kaede as she was laughing. "How disgusting. How do you think she got here? Coincidence? No, of course not, it was me."

"Why would you go so far…", asked Natsuru. "It's not like she'll acknowledge you the way you want her to."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I have certain, methods, to persuade her with, all of which are quite effective. After all, they worked like a charm on you.", she said with a grin. "Now, since you love me so, so much, could you be a dear and hand her over to me?", she asked condescendingly.

"FUCK YOU", shouted Natsuru. Before he knew it, he was sent flying by Kaede's kick to the temple and flew some couple feet across the floor. He quickly recovered and ignored the pain as he stood himself up, ready to counterattack. Kaede had already picked up the unconscious Natsume on her back and had jumped away from the rooftop, along with the two remaining Whites. There was no time to call for backup, Natsuru had to chase them while he was still close to Natsume, or else he'd lose them for sure. He followed them off the building and landed the four-story jump as easy as ever, while the three had already dashed away with impressive speed through the streets. In just moments, Natsuru had already caught up to them, surprising both himself and the three in front of him. He hurled a fireball at the ground between Hitomi and Rika and sent them flying to his right and left, but was careful as to not hit Kaede. The last thing he wants is for Natsume to be caught in the blast.

Natsuru had no choice but to resort to physical combat, as his powers were too destructive to be of use at the moment. He forced his legs to move as fast as they could, and slowly closed the distance between him and Kaede. He lunged at her with all his strength and hoped that his speed would carry him through, but he fell short and grabbed her leg instead of tackling her. They both fell onto the ground and Natsume rolled forward from Kaede's back, who was enjoying the view of concrete in her face. Natsuru propped himself up with his arms and was just about to get up before he caught a glimpse of something white and frilly, along with Kaede's foot to his face. He stumbled back down to the ground while Kaede was getting up at the same time, with her back faced to him. 'An opening!', he thought.

Kaede's shriek of pain pierced Natsuru's ears, as the fireball he sent straight at her back tore into her and exploded. She staggered forward before falling down to her knees and fell forward with her arms outstretched in front of her. Natsuru stared at her for a while to make sure she was incapacitated before running over to Natsume. He knelt down next to her and slowly lifted her head off the ground and let out a sigh of relief. But something caught his peripherals, or rather, something didn't. Kaede was no longer in the spot where she had fallen. Natsuru quickly surveyed the surrounding area; it was the area where he had his encounter with Akane on his way to school. They had just fought off the four white Kampfers and Kaede all by themselves, but there was no doubt in Natsuru's mind that this would not be their last battle.

* * *

><p>Natsuru sat back in his chair and yawned. After their last entanglement with the whites and Kaede, Natsuru carried Natsume back to the house and decided to skip the rest of his classes for today. Quite frankly, he was getting pretty tired of these fights, and was extremely irritated at the fact that these fights would always come to him without any consent. His cellphone vibrated on his desk, he picked it up to see who was calling. It was Shizuku.<p>

"H…Hello?", said Natsuru hesitantly.

"What the hell happened on that rooftop?", said Shizuku calmly.

"Well…we were attacked by the Whites, along with Kaede."

"I suspected as much, then I assume you two were able to fight them off?"

"Yeah, sort of. Natsume is still out cold from the fight though."

"…Natsume?"

"Yeah that's her name, I thought it'd be confusing if both of our names were the same."

"Hm, I see. We'll have to postpone this conversation for tomorrow, I have some things I must attend to. Your little disturbance caused the entire school to evacuate you know."

"Ah…I'll be more careful in the future.", said Natsuru with guilt.

"Please do so. I'll see you tomorrow then, be on guard."

Natsuru pressed the end call button and set his phone back down on his table. "Long day huh?", asked Disemboweled Tiger.

"Not really long, but stressful is more like. By the way, have the moderators told you anything yet?", asked Natsuru.

"Nothing yet!", said Disemboweled Tiger shrugging.

Natsuru leaned on the backrest of his chair and looked to his ceiling. 'Just who the hell are these guys', thought Natsuru. He let his eyes fall upon Natsume, who was tucked in his bed sleeping. He recalled her powerful attacks that resulted in her current condition. They would have to learn how to balance their destructive power without being over encumbered by them. He was worried, not for himself, but for Natsume. Kaede has her eyes set on her, and will stop at nothing to get it. He shuddered at the thought of Natsume being taken by Kaede and being tortured or something. He found within himself an overwhelming presence of responsibility to keep this girl safe, he wasn't sure how or why it got there, but he would never let her be taken.

* * *

><p>Felt like I crammed a lot into this chapter, tell me whatcha think! Thanks for all the feedback so far, it means a lot to me! Might be on hiatus for a short while, the ideas aren't coming to me as smoothly anymore.<p>

Until next time!

つづく！


	6. Chapter 6: The Black Kampfer

Hey guys, sorry this one took a LOT longer than expected. Be prepared for lots o' dialogue and plot advancement. A little shorter too :x

R&R!

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 - The Black Kampfer<strong>

Natsume's breathing was sporadic, her face was flustered, and her body seemed to tremble underneath the sheets. Natsuru awoke to find the girl in such a state, groaning as if she was in constant pain. He touched her forehead with his hand, it was hot to the touch. Was it the flu? A fever? Natsuru tried to diagnose her condition, but there was one thing he noticed that was very peculiar. She was not sweating. He moved in closer to her to put his forehead to hers. It was extremely warm, but no sweat.

"Natsuru…", she said with heavy breaths. She clutched his arms with great force and pulled him closer. He stumbled down to her level and grabbed her hand. He looked at her, her face was cringing in pain.

"Natsume!", he yelled. "What's wrong?" All of a sudden, a bright light caught his eye, which had originated from the bracelet on her wrist. It glowed a light blue and continued to get brighter. Natsume's pain seemed to intensify as the light of the bracelet got brighter. She was holding back her screams of pain, letting out only small bursts of groans and whimpers. Then, she let out a painful scream and dropped her head to the pillow as she lost unconsciousness. Natsuru looked in terror and much worry, as the unconscious girl in his bed slowly closed her eyes and fell into sleep. He switched his gaze from Natsume to the bracelet on her wrist. It was no longer glowing, but rather left something that bewildered him. The color of her bracelet had turned from blue to black. He looked to his own bracelet on his wrist, it had turned black as well without him noticing. Natsuru had a look of fear rather than anything else as he examined the bracelet. He looked back to Natsume, she was no longer breathing heavily and seemed to be in a more stable condition. Natsuru felt her forehead once more, and found that she was no longer burning up. This was all very strange. But he was glad that Natsume was no longer in pain.

"Yes Natsuru, what's up?", said Shizuku.

"Ah, Madam President. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be going to school today. Something uhh…came up", said Natsuru.

"What happened?", asked Shizuku.

"Well, I woke up this morning to find Natsume suffering from a fever or something."

"Natsume? Is that her name now?

"Y-Yes…but anyway! Something strange is going on. Could you meet me at my house afterschool? I don't want to leave her all by herself."

"…"

"Hello? Prez?"

"Ah, right. Very well, I'll let Akane and Mikoto know."

"Thank you, Madam President."

"Yeah", said Shizuku followed by a click.

Natsuru set his cellphone down on his desk and sat back in his chair. He turned his chair to look at Natsume, who was sleeping soundly. He looked down to his wrist to get another good look at the black bracelet. 'What could this possibly be?', he thought. He didn't feel any different from the usual. He outstretched his arm with his palm out to the ceiling as if he was holding something. His hand lit up in flames. He didn't feel much change in his powers either. Natsuru turned back to his desk and slumped over, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes.

"Hey Disemboweled Tiger", said Natsuru. Disemboweled Tiger hopped down from the bookcase above his desk. "What's up?", he said.

"What can you tell me about this", said Natsuru while showing the black bracelet to Disemboweled Tiger. DT looked at it for a second, "Yes", he said plainly.

"What? Well why didn't you say something before?", shouted Natsuru.

"Well you didn't a-"

"Don't give me that bull crap!", said Natsuru slamming his fist on the doll's head.

"Ehhh", said DT as he recovered. "Hehe, well from what the Moderators have told us, it was an unexpected side effect from the apparently forceful separation of a Kampfer and their host. Namely you two. Now this new _Black_ side has been created as a byproduct."

"Wait, so this new Black side was just created out of thin air?"

"Not necessarily, all I know is that a new faction has been formed, and that they are in opposition of the Proxy War.

"Well that doesn't really explain much."

"Sorry, that's all the information that was given to me so far."

"Eh, whatever. But I'm guessing that since I am now a Black Kampfer, my purpose is to go against the Moderators and the Whites?"

"Probably", said DT with a shrug.

"Wait, the Moderators told you all this knowing that you're affiliated with me?"

"The Moderators only told me _what_ happened, something else told me _why _it happened."

"…That makes sense…I guess."

Natsuru looked over at Natsume again with a sad face. "Do you know what's wrong with her?", he asked.

"That I don't know."

Natsuru continued to look at her sleeping face with a sullen expression. He wasn't sure about what was going on exactly. All he knew was Natsume was suffering and that he was unable to do anything for her. But the worst part was not knowing, not knowing what caused this, when she'll wake up, will she be okay, and who's to blame. But for now, all he could do was watch over her, waiting and hoping for something to happen.

* * *

><p>Natsume slowly opened her eyes to the sight of the white ceiling in Natsuru's room. She laid there for a moment before looking around and trying to move her body. She pulled the covers off of her and sat up on the edge of the bed. She groaned and rubbed her temples with her hands while scowling. 'What happened?', she thought to herself. She tried to replay her last known memories in her head, it was when she and Natsuru were attacked by Kaede and the Whites. 'I must have overexerted myself', she thought as she stood up. As she stood up, her legs gave out and she came crashing down onto the floor with her hands in front of her. She cringed and tried to get up, but noticed the bracelet on her wrist. '…Black?', she thought.<p>

"Natsume!", said Natsuru as he lifted her up back onto the bed. "Are you okay?"

She sat up, "Yeah…", she said tiredly. "What happened to me?"

"You…were in a coma for a week", said Natsuru.

"What? How? Does it have something to do with this?", said Natsume as she pointed at the black bracelet.

Natsuru hesitated for a moment. "Most likely." He grabbed her hand gently and set it down on her lap. He embraced her, surprised, she tensed up a little, but quickly loosened up and brought her arms around him as well. "I was so worried."

"About what?", she laughed.

"About you of course! Worried that you might not wake up", said Natsuru as his eyes dropped along with his head. Natsume brought his chin up with her hand and looked him straight in the eyes with a soft expression.

"Well, I'm right here aren't I?", she said with a smile.

"…Yeah", said Natsuru smiling back.

*Ding Dong*

"That must be Shizuku again."

"Shizuku? She's been coming by?"

"Yeah, Akane and Mikoto too."

"Mikoto?"

"Yeah don't worry about her, I told you she's not all bad", said Natsuru. "I'll go answer the door, be right back." Natsuru went into a brisk jog out of the room and down the stairs. *Ding Dong* "Coming!", he said as he opened the door.

"Yo! Senou!" It was Higashida. "How ya' been? Haven't seen you around at school for a while, so I decided to drop by!", said Higashida.

'Well that's pretty nice of him', thought Natsuru. "Well I'm fine now, I was just uhh, sick for a while."

"That's good to hear! Oh yeah, you had a package in front of your house", said Higashida as he handed it to Natsuru. He wasn't expecting a package anytime soon, this was a little strange. Natsuru went back into the house and set the box down on the table in the living room. He looked at the shipping label, no return address or anything. He grabbed a knife out of the kitchen cupboard and proceeded to cut through the package. He pulled out an object that was wrapped in layers of newspapers, it was very light. Natsuru tore through the newspapers to find a fuzzy doll, an Entrails Animal. It was a panda, with the usual piece of intestine hanging out of its stomach. It looked like a pretty normal panda plushie, save for the guts spilling out.

"Is that an Entrails Animal?", asked Higashida.

"I guess so", said Natsuru. He just stared at the thing, perplexed that he had received such a thing in the mail. Who could have possibly sent it?

"Who's it from?"

"I don't know", said Natsuru as he sat down. "The shipping label didn't have any information on it."

"Doesn't Sakura-san collect those things? I remember she threw out a couple at the culture festival."

"Yeah she does, but I don't think she was the one who sent this to me." Natsuru set the doll on the table and stared at it, as if he was waiting for it to do something.

"…Uhh hey man, you feeling okay?"

"Huh, yeah I'm fine, just spacing out a little." He would have to postpone his investigation on this matter until after Higashida left. "Hey by the way, have you seen Sakura-san at school lately?"

"No, can't say I have. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering…"

"Mmm, well, have you given any thought to our discussion at all?", asked Higashida.

"Discussion? What was it about?"

"You know! I was asking you about the photo shoot with the infamous, Senou, Natsuru!", he said with zeal. "The female one of course."

'Oh crap', thought Natsuru. It had slipped his mind that the President of the Hottie Research Club was in his house, and that one of the Three Beauties of their school was _living_ with him. This situation has turned into a very sensitive one for our hero.

"Oh! Uhh, I haven't asked her yet", said Natsuru.

"Can you text her?"

"She doesn't have a cell phone."

"How about calling her house phone?"

"I'll ask her when I get the chance!"

"Alright then, I'll hold you to it!", said Higashida. Natsuru let out a sigh as Higashida looked at his watch. "I should probably get going."

'Thank goodness…', thought Natsuru. He walked Higashida over to the door. "Thanks for stopping by, even if it was to pester me", said Natsuru.

Higashida laughed. "Wait…", he said. He hunched over a little and grabbed his stomach, looking like he was about to puke. "BATHROOM!", he yelled as he made his way up the stairs.

'OH SHIT', thought Natsuru. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO THE BATHROOM UPSTAIRS WHEN THERE'S ONE DOWN HERE?", yelled Natsuru as he chased him. Higashida busted through the bathroom door to find a half-naked maiden in front of him. She was wearing a long-sleeved button up that covered her thighs. She looked up at Higashida from the sink.

"Umm…Hi?"

The three of them had gathered in Natsuru's bedroom. Higashida was standing up, Natsuru was sitting on his desk chair, and Natsume was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Senou! How could you keep this a secret from me? Your best friend?", said Higashida with tears.

"Well!...Cause it'd be more trouble for me if people found out! Can you please just keep this a secret?", asked Natsuru with his hands together.

"Hmmm, okay. But on one condition!"

"Oh man, alright what is it?"

"A photo shoot session with her!", he said while pointing at Natsume.

Natsuru sighed. "Is that okay with you?", he asked.

"Sure!", she smiled. "But I have one condition as well. Natsuru has to be in them!" She grinned.

"But…", hesitated Higashida. This was like a once in a lifetime opportunity, so he had to take it. "Fine with me", he said.

"Alright Higashida, now that you got what you wanted, I must ask you to leave. She's not feeling too well."

"Is that so? That's why you've been missing from school huh?" Higashida bowed, "Sorry for disturbing you! Please excuse me!"

Natsume smiled at him. Higashida made his way out of the room, leaving with the front door shutting behind him. Natsume looked at Natsuru by his desk, he seemed to be irritated. "He's a good guy", she said.

"Yeah…I know, but he's stubborn at times."

"Like someone I know", she giggled.

"Ha ha", he said sarcastically. "Anyways, are you hungry? You haven't eaten for a while."

"I don't feel all that hungry for some reason", she said puzzled. "Just a little weak is all."

"You two seem to be getting along pretty well", interrupted Disemboweled Tiger.

"Yeah yeah, whatev- that's right!", said Natsuru. He ran back downstairs, grabbed the Entrails Animal, and ran back up.

"Where did he come from!", asked Disemboweled Tiger.

"I don't know, he came in a package today. It didn't have any info on it. Just this guy." Natsuru set the doll down on his desk, next to Disemboweled Tiger. The three of them huddled around the Entrails Animal, waiting for something to happen.

"…Stop…Staring…" It spoke! Well, no surprise there.

"Who are you?", asked Natsuru.

"Who am I? Who the hell are you? Get out of my face", said the doll. The doll was then promptly hammered into the desk by a devastating force that was delivered to his head that seemed to resonate to every fiber in his cute body. He got punched by Natsuru. "What the hell was that for?", he exclaimed.

"Welcome to my world", said Disemboweled Tiger.

The Entrails Animal got up and unnecessarily dusted himself off. He then noticed the black bracelet on Natsuru's wrist and let out a groan. "Don't tell me this is the guy…"

"Huh? What are you talking about?", asked Natsuru.

"Listen here, I am Endangered Panda, a messenger sent by a faction within the Moderators. A splinter cell group, if you will."

"Splinter cell group? Can you elaborate?"

"Sh, I'm getting to it. As you know, the Moderators oversee the Proxy War between two sides that are at war with each other somewhere in the universe. But the Moderators did not reach a perfect consensus when they were dealing with the idea of the Proxy War. The minority group, the ones that believed this idea was wrong, were shunned and ignored. While the remaining majority went on ahead with establishing the Kampfer system. The minority group had always wanted to change it, but they had no opportunity to, until now. When a rogue Moderator shifted the Kampfer system without consent, it created such needed opportunity."

"So…we're on the good side, right?", asked Natsuru.

"Yes idiot, you are." Endangered Panda looked to Natsume, who was standing next to Natsuru. "I'm assuming she is your Kampfer form. Not bad…not bad at all."

Natsume laughed.

"You little-"

*Cough* "Now, moving on. The Black Kampfers have different techniques of fighting. Well, not really different, but they are limited in some cases. For example, if your partner were to get too far away from you, your fighting ability would be reduced to a regular human's."

"We know that much already", said Natsuru plainly.

"Very well then. That's all I have to say, other than that, keep it up with the fight against the Whites. Woo…", said Endangered Panda. "Questions?"

"Yeah, why was she going through so much pain when our bracelets turned black and why is this happening to me?"

"That's a loaded question, I'll just start from the beginning. There are of course other Kampfers spread out all over the world, and your case is definitely not unique. Unique in the sense that you are a male host. You see, the 'good' Moderators had been planning to interrupt the Kampfer system for a while, by making some of the chosen Kampfers males. They were waiting for a chance to implement their own faction in the system, which was just recently applied. A Kampfer uses the host's energy to stay active and fight, so when the splitting occurred, the Kampfer is cut off from the host's energy. Kampfers cannot regenerate energy on their own, which is why they rely on the host. She probably collapsed not too long ago, correct? That was because she depleted her already dwindling energy."

"You're not answering the question…"

"I am getting to it, just hold on…shit." Natsuru pulled back his arm, getting ready to smack the disrespectful doll, but was stopped by Natsume.

"Patience", she said softly.

"Thank you, as I was saying. As planned, the Kampfer that is drained of her own life force will form a symbiotic bond with their host so that the 'bad' Moderators will have no jurisdiction or anything over them. That's why, as you've probably already figured out, you feel what he feels, save for physical sensations other than pain."

"So if I keep using my powers, will Natsuru be drained of his life force?", asked Natsume.

"No, none of that Asura Cryin' stuff applies. Humans are capable of regenerating their own life energy through food and sustenance. Even if Kampfers alone eat food, they are not able to produce their own life energy."

"Okay, that's all fine and dandy, but how are these Kampfers sentient?", asked Natsuru.

Endangered Panda shrugged.

"Okay, you keep referring to the Kampfers as a different person altogether, why is that?"

"Because they are. The Kampfer and the human host are two different entities, since regular humans are incapable to summoning magic, weapons, enhanced strength, and agility, the Kampfer form was created to make such things possible. That's why you have that bracelet, to tap into your Kampfer form so you would fight."

"Alright…so what do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious? Your goal now as Black Kampfers is to defeat any and all whites, including the rogue Moderator."

"Rogue Moderator…?"

"The one you call Sakura, Kaede."

* * *

><p>"Kaede? A rogue Moderator?", said Shizuku. Everyone had gathered in the library for a small powwow of sorts. "Well, that does seem to fit the picture. But what of us Reds and Blues? You said that the Blacks' purpose is to stop the 'bad' Moderators and the Whites, so do the Reds and Blues just stop fighting?"<p>

"I don't know", said Natsuru. "But I do know that we have to stop them."

"Don't worry about us", said Akane. "We'll fight by your side! Right Mikoto?" Mikoto nodded, "Of course!"

"I appreciate it, but I don't think you guys should involve yourselves so quickly. We still don't know if the Moderators are able to manipulate the Kampfers in any way", said Natsuru.

"Well, if they had wanted to, don't you think they would've taken away our powers already?", Akane pointed out.

"She's right", said Shizuku. "Perhaps they're just keeping us as a means of surveillance?"

"Then that means our cover is already blown", said Natsume.

"We don't know that for sure yet.", said Natsuru.

"Then what's the plan, Mr. Genius?", said Mikoto.

"I guess all we can do for now is wait. No one has seen Kaede or those four girls around the school or anywhere else. But that doesn't mean we can relax."

"I agree with Natsuru. Let's head back to class, we'll be late.", said Shizuku.

"Wait a minute Madam President! How come she gets to be with Natsuru?", exclaimed Akane.

"Yeah! That's not fair", said Mikoto.

"Just think of her as Natsuru's bodyguard", said Shizuku.

"If he needs one then I'll be his bodyguard!", said Mikoto.

"No more complaints, my decision is final", said Shizuku with a smile.

"Wha- Akane! Help me out here!"

"Unfortunately, I must agree with Madam President. She is the most capable out of all of us to protect him, a necessity even", said Akane. She gave a sharp look to Natsume, "But that doesn't mean he's all yours!"

With that, Akane leaves the library along with Mikoto who reluctantly followed. "Guess we should get going too", said Natsuru. "Come on Natsume."

"Okay!", said Natsume. She was stopped by Shizuku, "You go on ahead Natsuru, I'd like for us to speak in private."

"Alright, just don't be late!", said Natsuru as he left the library. Shizuku waited a moment for the library to clear out. She turned to Natsume, who was looking a bit confused.

"So _Natsume_, how are you today?", asked Shizuku.

"Uhhh, I'm good I guess?", replied Natsume.

"Well that's good, how are things between you and Natsuru?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just wondering."

"You don't trust me, do you?"

"You seem to be misunderstanding me. If I didn't trust you, why would I have agreed to your idea of attending classes with Natsuru?"

"Oh…well uhh…"

"What is he to you?", said Shizuku sternly.

The question caught Natsume off guard, she hesitated for a moment, "Huh?"

"You heard me." The two stared at each other, Natsume, unsure of how to answer, clenched her fists.

"He's…he's my host!"

"Are you sure? There must be something more."

Natsume looked down. She went into her subconscious and asked herself the same question. What was he really? Her gaze shot back to Shizuku, "A person of great importance to me", she said.

Shizuku looked at her for a moment, and then nodded in acknowledgement with a smile. "Very well then", she said. She left the library leaving the blue haired girl alone. Bewildered, Natsume casually made her way to class, even though it had started about ten minutes ago. 'Why'd she ask such a strange question?', thought Natsume. She shrugged it off as she came to the sliding door of her new classroom. She entered the classroom and was greeted by the teacher, "Ah, Senou-kun, welcome back. Please take your seat", said the teacher. She bowed and walked to her seat behind Natsuru, resting her chin on her hands on the desk.

Natsuru turned around to face her, "Where were you?", he asked.

"Just conversing with Shizuku", she said.

"Really? What were you guys talking about?"

"Don't worry about it!", she said with a smile.

"*Ahem* Excuse me, but this is a classroom, not a date", said the teacher.

"S…Sorry", said Natsuru looking down with embarrassment.

Natsuru sighed and looked up to the peaceful blue sky. He was walking home from a long day of school, with an empty stomach on top of all that. Walking beside him was Natsume, who seemed to be in a cheerful mood. Things have been relatively quiet lately, which was of course a good thing, but it made Natsuru feel a bit uneasy. Having turned into Black Kampfers, he assumed that more trouble would follow the both of them, and possibly even the others. The thought poked at him in his head, making him feel more and more nervous the more he thought about it.

"Hey", said Natsume as she tapped his arm. "We'll deal with it when the time comes", she said optimistically. He smiled, "Yeah…guess so."

* * *

><p>The two of them ended back home, having just finished eating dinner, they lazed around the living room watching t.v. and enjoying a popsicle. Natsuru hadn't done this in a while, ever since his parents pretty much left him the house, he didn't have anyone to laze around with. It was actually a luxury that he actually got to enjoy just sitting around, what with all the hectic things he's been involved with.<p>

"Hey Natsuru." Natsuru looked over the girl. "Hmm?", he said.

"Let's go somewhere!", she shouted.

"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"

"Well, you've gone with Shizuku and the others already, so why not!", she said.

Natsuru sighed, "Where do you want to go?"

"Hmmmm how about the beach?"

"Sounds good to me, then we'll go this weekend?"

"Yeah! Oh, but don't let anyone find out."

"Huh? Why not?", questioned Natsuru.

"I think you know why…"

"…Right."

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><p>If my whole Black Kampfer thing seemed to be copy pasta'd from the other stories, it wasn't! Or at least I hope it wasn't, I didn't really read them.<p>

Anyways, thanks for reading.

つづく！


	7. Chapter 7: A Proposition

Hay guys, it's been a while, but here it is! I must apologize for not getting these chapters out as quickly as I used to. Don't wanna sacrifice quality for quantity!

As always, I would appreciate comments, concerns, criticisms, and ideas! I pm'd a couple of you but it seems like you have not checked your inboxes lately ._. tl;dr R&R!

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><p>Chapter 7 - A Proposition<p>

"Hey Natsume, are you done yet?", said Natsuru. He was waiting by the front door with some luggage by his feet. It was the start of their summer vacation, and wouldn't you know it, they were heading out on a trip to the beach for a couple days. Hopefully this time around, it'll go without a hitch, or any intrusion for that matter.

"Sorry for the wait!", said Natsume as she came running down the stairs. She wore a bright white summer dress along with a tan summer hat with a blue ribbon tied on it. Natsuru stood for a moment, smiled, and nodded. "You like it?", she asked.

"Ehh, it's okay", he teased.

"Oh yeah?", she laughed. "Your thoughts say otherwise", she said as she flicked his forehead.

"Why do you even need to ask!", Natsuru said as he recoiled. Natsume laughed, "Don't be such a baby!"

"Whatever", he chuckled. They exited the house, luggage in hand, into the warm summer sun.

"Race you to the train station!", said Natsume as she bursted into a sprint at an inhuman speed.

"Ah- Wait!", said Natsuru, but it was too late. He sighed and followed behind her, matching her speed, and catching the eyes of anyone they passed. "Why are we running?", Natsuru shouted. "Just for the hell of it!", replied Natsume. 'This girl is crazy!', thought Natsuru. He noticed that he was running at such high speeds without even breaking a sweat, and moving even faster than before in his original Kampfer form. Maybe this was one of the perks of being a Black Kampfer. He shrugged off this idea and any thought of Kampfers or whatnot, this was supposed to be his trip of rest and relaxation. Getting away from it all and spending time alone with the blue haired girl in front of him. He smiled to himself, maybe this will turn out to be a lot of fun after all.

"Where exactly are we going anyways?", asked Natsume as she took her seat next to the window of the train.

Natsuru stood up from stuffing the luggage underneath their seats, "To a nice waterfront hotel. My parents used to take me there all the time, I haven't been there in a while actually", he said taking his seat. He turned to Natsume, who was looking around like a kid in a zoo. "This is your first time on a train, isn't it?", he asked.

She nodded and continued about her own business, eyeing out every detail of the train.

"Wait 'till you see the beach", said Natsuru.

"Is it anything like the pool we went to? I mean…you?", asked Natsume.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that, but nothing really beats the beach." With that, Natsume's eyes lit up in excitement. The conductor announced their departure and the train groaned to life, slowly inching forward. Fascinated, Natsume practically glues her face to the window, catching the attention of some people standing outside. Natsuru laughed and took in a deep breath before getting comfortable in his seat.

"Wow~ Natsuru! Natsuru! Come look!", exclaimed Natsume. After the long train ride, they had finally made it to their hotel room, which overlooked the glistening ocean in front of them. The sun was setting, its glow filled the room with a warm orange glow with its round silhouette bouncing off of the water on the horizon. "It's so beautiful!"

"Why don't you help me with the stuff first?", said Natsuru from the doorway.

"Ah- Sorry!" Natsume ran over to help Natsuru with the luggage, and as they settled themselves nicely in their incredibly spacious room, Natsume walked out onto the balcony through the sliding glass door with Natsuru following behind her. Natsuru sat down on the patio chair facing the ocean. He looked to the ocean, and then to Natsume, who seemed to be soaking in the breathtaking view. The calm wind playing with her gentle blue hair, the sun's orange rays bouncing off of her skin, the soothing roar of the tides below, and her calm expression. It was all too surreal for Natsuru, who would've thought he'd be in this situation? Then, Natsume turned to face Natsuru, with a serious tone in her expression.

"What's up?", he asked.

She stood silent for a moment before shaking her head and smiling, "It's nothing."

Natsuru cocked an eyebrow," Are you feeling okay?", he asked.

"I'm fine. Something just…crossed my mind", she said as she looked at the black bracelet. "It's nothing really!"

"Well okay", said Natsuru as he got up. "Let's go for a walk shall we? The boulevard's pretty nice during this time."

"Alright!"

The touristy section of the beach boulevard was naturally bustling with people during this time. The sun had set, the lights of the streetlamps, stores, restaurants, and assorted décor lights lit up the area as if it were some sort of parade. The heat from the blazing sun had still lingered about, but still comfortable and bearable enough to walk around without seeking a cooler place. Natsuru had frequented this place many times with his parents, even now, his father 'knows' the people around here, despite being several years since his last visit. Natsume, on the other hand, was having a hard time keeping up with all the bright lights and glamor of the stores they pass. The night life was very beautiful, but at the same time gave Natsume a bit of a headache.

"Hey, you okay?", asked Natsuru.

"Yeah, I'm fine!", said Natsume as she collected herself.

"Let's go find someplace to relax", said Natsuru. He looked around and spotted a familiar restaurant he and his parents often ate at. "Ah, over there!", said Natsuru as he slowly guided Natsume over. They walked in through the glass double doors into the bustling restaurant, crowded with people. It had a clean, modern theme to it, but also kept a fairly casual atmosphere. Natsuru walked over to the waiter standing behind a counter, tapping away at a keyboard. "Excuse me", said Natsuru, "Can I get a table for two please?"

"Do you have a reservation?", asked the waiter without looking up from the monitor in front of him.

"Uhhh no, I didn't realize you needed one now."

"Then get out of here, we don't take walk in's", said the waiter as he looked up to see Natsuru. His face turned from an indifferent look to an expression of 'Oh Shit'. "B-Boss! Please forgive me, I did not realize it was you!", said the waiter as he bowed behind the counter.

"Ah no! It's me, Senou, Natsuru! Stop bowing please!", said Natsuru frantically.

"Young Master?", said the waiter as he looked up again. "Forgive me!", he said bowing again.

"P-Please, it's okay…", said Natsuru who was a little embarrassed. People were starting to look their way.

Natsume and Natsuru ended up at the sushi bar, after having resolved the commotion. The restaurant was being managed by his father's 'company' with one of his father's close friends as the co-owner.

"I didn't know your dad had that much influence", said Natsume as she laughed.

Natsuru groaned and brought his head down, whenever his dad's associates would see him, they would assume that Natsuru was his father. They closely resemble each other after all.

"Young Master! Long time no see!", said a man behind the sushi bar.

"Keita-san!", said Natsuru as he got up to shake his hand. Keita is a burly, well-built middle aged man, the owner of this establishment and a Senou family friend. He's like one of your typical cool uncles, just with a shaved head and a passion for serving dead fish.

"Didn't know you were dropping by!"

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Don't be sorry! This place is pretty much yours!", said Keita. He looked over at the blue haired girl next to Natsuru. "Uhh…did you always have a sister?", asked Keita.

"No no no! She's…"

"Hi! I'm Senou, Natsume, nice to meet you!", interjected Natsume as she shook Keita's rugged hand.

"Senou huh? Good job Natsuru! You sure know how to pick 'em", said Keita winking at Natsuru.

"It's not like that!", said Natsuru with a sigh. "Just get anything you want, I'll be right back, gotta go to the restroom", said Natsuru.

Natsume nodded in compliance as Natsuru got up and left for the restroom. "All right Natsume-chan, try this", said Keita as he handed a plate of sashimi. "Thank you", she said as she took the plate.

"So, how did you two meet?", asked Keita.

"Uhh school! I uh, transferred in and ended up sitting near him in class."

"And you guys are married now or something?", said Keita cackling.

"No, it's quite a long story", said Natsume blushing.

"I see, I shall respect a lady's privacy. But are you two going out? At least give me that."

"I…I'm not sure exactly. I mean…"

Keita chuckled, "That boy, he's got a lot to learn. Don't fret over it, he may be slow and indecisive, but he wouldn't have brought you all the way out here for no reason. And when he does come around, make sure you take good care of him."

Keita's words were just what Natsume needed, looking up with a bright smile, she replied to Keita saying, "Yeah!"

"That's the spirit. Now, I got something that might help you with that."

"What is it?"

"It's called a sake bomb."

* * *

><p>"Hey…Natsume, are you okay?", asked Natsuru. They were now back in their hotel room and now Natsume was feeling a bit under the weather. She was lying down in bed with her arm over her eyes.<p>

"Y-eah I'm fun", replied Natsume.

"…You're fun?"

"Yes."

"…Come here." Natsume lazily sat up from the bed like a pissed off teenager waking up for school. Natsuru bent over to her level and pulled her close to his face. "Were you drinking?"

Natsume made an annoyed face and started to go off on a gibberish rant, lecturing Natsuru with her slurred words. When she was satisfied, she dropped her arms to her lap and fell back onto the bed, as if inviting Natsuru to join her. Natsuru looked at her half closed eyes and felt his face turn hot red. He stood frozen at the edge of the bed, his heart beating at an alarming rate. Does he have the balls to go for it? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He slowly climbed the bed and moved next to Natsume so that they were looking face to face.

"Hey…Natsuru…", said Natsume.

"What is it?"

"What am I?", she asked.

Natsuru didn't know what to say, but he could tell that this question weighed heavily on her, with her sullen expression peering into his eyes. "You are Senou, Natsume, an individual with her own thoughts, free will, and emotions. You are my girlfriend." That sounded a lot better in his head, but Natsume didn't seem to mind. She took comfort in his words, closing her eyes and forming a small smile.

"Then it's official now…huh?", she said sleepily.

Guess so…" said Natsuru, a little embarrassed. This all felt very strange, but right at the same time. He had only met this girl a couple weeks ago, and yet, they were already in this situation. Spending time alone with each other on a beachfront hotel. A lot of guys would kill to be in Natsuru's position.

"Go for it", a voice said. Natsuru shot up from the bed and looked around quickly to see where it came from. It was Endangered Panda along with Disemboweled Tiger, both standing on top of the nightstand.

"What the-how'd you guys get here!"

"We snuck into your bag", said Endangered Panda quite proudly. Disemboweled Tiger shrugged.

"Ugh, okay whatever. But I'd at least appreciate it if you guys would just, keep out of sight. Preferably in the bag", said Natsuru.

"Hey I'm just trying to help out", said Endangered Panda, "seems like someone is rather _lacking_ experience in a certain subject."

Natsuru gave him the stinky eye, "And a stuffed animal would know more about that than me, right?", he said with sarcasm. "What do you know anyway?"

"Enough", retorted Endangered Panda. "Now, what will you do? You're a teenage boy alone in a hotel room with his new teenage girlfriend. What. Will. You. Do?", teased Endangered Panda.

"…I'm going to sleep."

"Wha wha wai-What the hell is wrong with you?", EP stuttered.

"I will not take advantage of an inebriated woman!"

"Hah, if that's what you're worried about, then I know for a fact she wouldn't mind."

"W-Whatever!" He picked up both of the stuffed animals and shoved them back into his luggage, zipping it tightly afterwards. Natsuru returned to Natsume to tuck her in. He quickly hopped in his own bed that was parallel to hers, before getting any funny ideas. He turned off the lights to the room and got comfy in his bed. The light of the full moon lit up the room through the glass door to the balcony, leaving a calm blue aura that was painted soft across the walls. Natsuru looked to the ceiling, thinking about all the things that have happened to him in these past months. Fighting, girls, crazy girls, more crazy girls, talking dolls, more fighting, and now this. He laughed to himself at how ridiculous his situation was.

* * *

><p>"Wow!", exclaimed Natsume. "So this is the ocean!"<p>

"Yep, beautiful isn't it?", said Natsuru opening the parasol and sticking it into the sand. The beach was radiant, with the sun shining down upon the yellow sand and blue ocean, and with people sprawled all over.

"But, why do I have to wear this? It's hot!", complained Natsuru. She was wearing what looked like jogging attire, grey sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"It's for a reason!", said Natsuru. "You can take it off now though."

"Yay!", said Natsume in excitement. She undressed so fast that it'd make Gray look like an amateur. She was wearing the same swimsuit back from when they went to the pool with everyone, she looked stunning to say the least. "What do you think?", she said cracking a large grin with a peace sign.

"Do I have to answer?", asked Natsuru.

"It's nice for a girl to hear it from their boyfriend once in a while", she said with a smile.

Natsuru blushed, there's no beating that logic. "Y-You look good in that", he said timidly.

"Why thank you!"

Natsuru chuckled nervously, "Ah, you want something to drink?"

"Yeah! Sweet iced tea please!"

Natsuru made his way over to a small beachside café and waited in line. "That'll be 1100 yen please", said the cashier. Natsuru looked up to see the man in front of him handing over the money to the cashier, but something caught his eye. On the man's right wrist was a black bracelet, very much like Natsuru's. He panicked and cupped his hand over his own bracelet as the man turned around to leave. He noticed Natsuru's stare and stopped, "Ummm, can I help you?", he asked.

"Oh! Uhh, I was just thinking how cool your bracelet is!", spat Natsuru.

"Ah this thing? I guess it's cool", said the man. He noticed Natsuru's arms, one hand holding the other wrist as if he was in church or something. Natsuru could feel the man's stare, making his wrist feel tingly. The man let out an amused 'Hmph' before walking past Natsuru with his drink in hand. Natsuru continued to stare at him as he walked down the sandy beach, his blonde hair was long and unkempt. He was probably somewhere in his mid-thirties, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals.

"Ummm, excuse me sir? You're holding up the line", said the cashier.

"Ah! Sorry! I'll have one sweet iced tea and a canned coffee please", said Natsuru. He turned his head back to look for the man, but was already lost among the people passing by.

Natsuru walked back to where he left Natsume, the drinks in a plastic bag hanging by his side. He was deep in thought. 'Who was that guy? There was no doubt he knew about my bracelet. What were the chances of seeing another Black Kampfer here?' Then he remembered what Shizuku said, something about Kampfers gathering in the same area by chance or something. He brushed these thoughts aside, he was here to enjoy himself, not to get into another fight. But things aren't that easy, as he came into view of his parasol, he spotted two guys standing by Natsuru, who was sitting down looking up at them. 'Oh god', thought Natsuru. He hustled back, drawing the attention of the two guys.

"Who the hell're you?", said one of the guys. They looked like the typical overconfident beach douches. There was one with blonde hair while the other one had black.

'These guys are so cliché', thought Natsuru. "Umm, I'm sorry but I'm with her", he said politely.

"Huhhh? Don't mess around, get out of here punk."

"Okay, that's enough", said Natsume as she got up. "You two are so annoying, so do me a favor and leave already."

"Oho, this one's got a mouth on her", said the blonde. He wrapped his arm around Natsume's waist, forcing her hip next to his. Before Natsuru could react, the blonde was sent flying a good ten feet into the air. He looked over at Natsume, who seemed to be wearing a wicked smile. She looked over to the black haired guy, who then promptly ran off terrified for his life.

Natsuru couldn't help but laugh. She looked over at him, "How can you laugh when your girlfriend just got assaulted?", she said with a pouty face.

"You know I was a bit worried, but it looks like you can handle yourself", he said still laughing.

"Yeah yeah whatever!", she said as she laid down face first on a beach towel. "Just come help me with this."

"Help you with wha-" he stopped talking as Natsume undid her top. "What are you doing!", he shouted, dropping the bag of drinks as he ran to her.

"What? Isn't this what you do to get a good tan?", she asked.

"Well yeah, but you don't even need a tan!"

"I'm curious!"

Natsuru sighed, "Alright, what do you need help with?"

She pointed to the sun tan lotion near their bag under the parasol. "Ah, right." Natsuru grabbed it, poured some on his palm, and spread it out evenly on both of his palms. He was hesitant, as this was his first time doing something like this. He nervously put his hands on her bare back, making her shriek. "Wh-What's wrong!"

"It's frickin' cold!", she shouted.

"Ugh, just calm down.", said Natsuru. He began to disperse the lotion across her back, her skin was softer than anything he'd ever felt. He started to blush as he moved his hands up through her shoulders and down through her legs. Then he remembered, "Oh, Natsume…"

"Hmmm?", she responded, resting her chin on her forearms.

"I saw…a Black Kampfer", he said uneasily.

"I know. So, what should we do?"

"I don't know…", said Natsuru. He rubbed the leftover lotion on his arms and sat down next to Natsume. "I thought by coming here I could avoid conflict. But it seems as if it's always following me wherever I go."

Natsume took on an expression of guilt. 'It's my fault that he's in this situation', she thought. As she was about to say something, she noticed a shadow casting over her. She looked up to see a silhouette of a man standing before her, with the sun's rays enveloping him.

"Yo, I guess Kampfers really do tend to gather in one place", said the man.

Natsuru quickly stood himself up, "Y-You!"

Natsume looked confused, "You know him?", she asked.

"I wouldn't say he does", said the man. "Don't be so alarmed, I'm not here to fight you." He lifted his right arm, presenting his black bracelet to the two. I'm just here to talk, that okay with you guys?"

The blue haired duo looked at each other, then looked back at the man. "Sure", said Natsuru.

The man sat himself down in front of the two, "The name's Shousuke. Tachibana, Shousuke. And I take it that this young lady here is your partner in crime?", he asked looking at Natsume.

She smiled, "Senou, Natsume! Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Senou, Natsuru. Nice to meet you."

Shousuke laughed, "If I hadn't known any better, I'd figure you two to be siblings!"

Natsuru chuckled nervously, "So uhh, Tachibana-san, what did you want to talk to us about?"

"Right, back to business", he paused for a good five seconds. "I want you two to join us."

"Uhhh that's a little vague, Tachibana-san. I'm not quite sure I understand", said Natsuru.

"Sorry, sorry, I always get ahead of myself. As you can see, I too am a Black Kampfer. I didn't expect to find another Black in such short time given our 'unique' situation. But now that I found a fellow Black Kampfer, wouldn't it be best for us to team up?", said Shousuke making a fist.

"And by 'us' do you mean…"

"Yep! My partner should be around here somewhere…she usually wanders around. Which is kind of a bad thing now that I think about it…"

"Sho, there you are, I was looking all over for you", said a woman walking up from behind Shousuke. She had long, straight blonde hair, with a figure that rivaled Natsume's. "Hitting on younger girls now are we?"

"No, no! These kids were the ones I was telling you about. See?", he said pointing at Natsume's black bracelet.

"Uh-huh", said the woman as she looked at Natsume. "Tachibana, Nanami. Nice to meet you", she said with composure. "Sorry if this guy's been bothering you, he's kind of troublesome."

"Not at all!", said Natsume.

Nanami nodded, "So, what do you say to our proposition?"

There was silence for a moment, Natsume looked over to Natsuru, leaving it up to him to answer. "Well…I'm not sure right now", said Natsuru. He looked down in uncertainty and stared at the tiny grains of sand that sifted through his toes. He thought of all the fighting he's been through and thought of all the possible future ones to come.

Shousuke looked at Natsuru with understanding. "Look kid, I know all of this might be hard to take in, turning into a girl and fighting to the death. I've been in this crazy game since high school. You don't have to give me an answer now, but just think about it. Give me your phone for a sec."

Natsuru handed him his phone. After pressing a series of buttons, Shousuke tossed it back to him and stood himself up.

"Call me up when you decide", said Shousuke.

"Wait! I have a lot of questions I need to ask you!", shouted Natsuru.

He and his partner were already up and walking, but Shousuke stopped and turned around, "We'll talk only when we hear a favorable answer. And just so you know, they'll just keep coming at you, the Whites." And with that, they disappeared into the crowd of people.

Natsuru stared at his phone with Shousuke's new contact information on the screen. He knew that the Whites would come for them once again, but he didn't know there were more out there. He didn't have a lot of options, either way, they would definitely encounter more Whites in the future.

"We can deal with that later", said Natsume. She was still lying down while resting the side of her temple on her arms to look at Natsuru. "Let's enjoy ourselves for now, please?"

Natsuru hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, "Yeah, you're right." He got back on his feet and shot his arms straight into the air, grunting as he stretched them as far as he could. He let out a satisfied exhale and placed his hands on his hips, looking past the parasols scattered about to the blue ocean that glistened under the sun. Natsume tied the strands of her top behind her back and then outstretched her limbs on the ground.

"Let's go!", she said with excitement. She grabbed his hand with a running start and took off, kicking up the sand behind her. Natsuru clumsily followed her lead, tripping over himself and the small mounds of sand that caught his feet.

"Wait! What are we doing?"

"What do you think? Going for a swim of course!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, do you really think they'll join us?", asked Nanami.<p>

"Don't see why not. The boy doesn't have a lot of options", said Shousuke. "Besides, the more people we have on our side, the better." The two were taking a stroll down the dark and empty streets at the far end of the beach. The sun had set several hours ago, and there was not a single person out at this time of night.

"That's true. But don't you think they're a bit too young?"

"Technically speaking, you're about as old as the girl."

"But I've watched over you ever since you first became a Kampfer back in high school", retorted Nanami. "I'm just saying that they may not have enough experience."

"Then they'll learn as we go", said Shousuke. "At this point, we don't have the luxury of being picky." Shousuke clenched his fists, creating streams of lightning that rotated about his hands. "Talk later, they're here."

Two figures suddenly appeared before them, both presumably White Kampfers, and females of course. Shousuke lifted his fists in the air, which were now enveloped by ferocious lightning that screamed and snapped, and slammed them into the ground creating a large wave of lightning. The two quickly jumped out of the way, barely dodging the attack. One pulled out a pistol and started firing rapidly at Shousuke, the other drew a katana and came slicing down at Nanami. Shousuke sidestepped to dodge the bullets and summoned his great sword to use as a shield. Nanami quickly summoned her swords as well, dual-wielding two one-handed swords and parrying the White's attacks.

Shousuke lifted his foot off of the ground and smashed it back, creating a shockwave that made the two opponents jump back, giving them some breathing room.

"You Black Kampfers are no match for us. You are so few in numbers while we are so many, and you're weak", said the White with cockiness.

"Wouldn't be so sure about that", said Shousuke with a smile. He held out his great sword in front of him, clutching it tightly with one hand, while Nanami rested her blades at her sides, clutching them as well. Shousuke swung his great sword in the air, and what seemed to be lightning, was flowing out of the metal, creating a blade-like shroud over the sword. His sword screamed and crackled, as whips of lightning shot out in random directions, it glowed a bright blue. As was the same with Nanami's blades, both trembling with the sheer force of imbued lightning.

"Isn't this a bit overkill?", asked Nanami casually.

"Maybe, but you can never be too sure", said Shousuke. He cracked a smile and blasted off the ground at a ridiculous speed towards the Gewehr type. She panicked and fired towards Shousuke as fast as she could, but her bullets seemed to lose velocity when they got close to him. She tried to jump away but was too late, as Shousuke great sword pierced through her stomach, blood came spilling out of her mouth. Shousuke slowly pulled his bloodied sword out, leaving the impaled girl standing for a moment before falling into a small pool of her own blood.

The Schwert type looked at her dead comrade, then returned her focus to Nanami, who was already in front of her hacking away. Her attacks felt stronger, the White's katakana trembled after each strike, and with two swords, her attack speed outmatched the White's single katana. Nanami backed off, leaving the Schwert gasping for air. She stabbed her swords into the ground, clasped her hands together, and shot a stream of lightning right at her opponent. The lightning struck her and paralyzed her. She grunted as she tried to move her body in vain, dropping her katana. Nanami slowly walked up to her disabled opponent and quickly stabbed her through the chest with her swords. The girl let out a short cry before falling into Nanami's arms, after which she slowly placed her limp less body on the floor, closing the girl's eyes.

"I never really liked doing this", said Nanami as she got up to face Shousuke who was squatting next to his dead opponent. Shousuke had placed her hands over each other on her stomach and closed her eyes. A small act of respect for the defeated.

"Neither do I. But one thing's for certain", said Shousuke, unsummoning his weapon. "All this meaningless fighting won't stop until we destroy her, the Rogue Moderator."

"…Then what? What will happen to everyone? When the Proxy War is stopped, they'll just keep fighting. Is what we're doing right?", asked Nanami.

"I…I don't know Nanami", said Shousuke looking at the ground. The two stood in silence, which was broken by a light emanating from the body of the Whites. Their bodies were evaporating into the air, like snowflakes that were ascending up into the sky. They continued to watch until the last snowflake withered away into the air, leaving no evidence of death, not even the blood that was spilled.

"I wonder why that happens", asked Nanami to herself.

Shousuke chuckled, "Just another one among hundreds of questions to ask those damn Moderators."

Natsuru opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He looked to the digital clock on his nightstand, it was the middle of the night. He sat up in his bed, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. He noticed that the sliding glass door was open, with the curtains floating with the breeze that came into the room. He got out of bed and walked over, where he noticed Natsume standing by the balcony, arms rested atop the guard rails.

"Hey", said Natsuru, walking up to her side.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?", she asked softly.

"No, I just couldn't sleep"

"Oh…I see." They stood there, both waiting for the other to speak or to say something, anything.

"Something's bothering you", said Natsuru finally. "Please, you can tell me anything."

"…Well, something's been bothering me. Ever since we arrived here, I just felt something…weird."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. But, I really didn't want to bring it up because I was looking forward to spending time…with you", she said looking at him. "Do you think there are White Kampfers nearby?", she asked with worry.

"Who knows?", he said. Natsuru stood behind her, slipping his arms around her waist, and held her tightly. He could feel the warmth of her body, the warmth of her soft hands in his, and the sweet smell of her hair. "And if there are", he continued, "I'll definitely keep you safe."

"Keep me safe?", laughed Natsume. She leaned her head to the side, turning to face Natsuru who was leaning forward closer to her face. "Who's the one that got beaten up last time?"

"Hmph." He leaned in, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips against hers.

'That's right', he thought, 'what would I do without her?'

* * *

><p>Writing a Romance intertwined with ActionAdventure is quite challenging. (IMO) So I hope I have not gone astray! While I too feel that their relationship is a bit rushed, I wasn't too sure on how to exactly go about it. But hey, love is spontaneous...or something.

Thanks for reading! Just know that I'll be updating regularly (unknown time frames though).


	8. Chapter 8: Problems?

Hey guys, thanks for your patience with me! Writing's been low on my to-do list recently.

Anyway, this one's leaning more into the daily lives of our main characters. But expect to see some ahk-shun in the next chapter! R&R please.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 - Problems?<p>

"You look awfully happy", said Natsuru. "Something good happen?"

"Yep!", said Natsume. "I'm in an official relationship with this really cute guy", she said as she cradled her chin with her hand, closing her eyes and blushing.

"Oh yeah? He must be a really lucky guy."

"Not as lucky as I am", she said, slipping her hand into Natsuru's.

The two were walking side by side on their way to school, acting all lovey dovey. They had returned from their overnight trip to the beach resort in relatively high spirits. Natsuru was just glad that he got to get away from it all for a short while.

"By the way", said Natsume turning to Natsuru. "Did you ever reply to that guy?"

"Shousuke? Yeah."

"…And?"

"Uhh he said he'll be in the area sometime soon. So he'll let me know when he is", said Natsuru.

"Mmm, so I take it that you agreed to his offer?"

"Yeah, should I have not?"

"Well no", she said bluntly. "I think it's a good idea to stick together though. Did he tell you anything else?"

"Just what I needed to know for now, he said he'll answer my questions at a later time or something. But for one thing, there are definitely other Black Kampfers out there, and he plans to bring us all together."

"Sooo what's our part in all of this?", she asked.

"Not sure, I guess he just wants us to remain on standby as he searches for others."

"Fine by me!", said Natsume with a large grin. Natsuru smiled back at her. He thought back to their meeting with Shousuke at the beach and their short conversation on the phone. Shousuke's warning reverberated in his head, 'They'll just keep coming at you, the Whites.' Natsuru sighed, he was already used to all the fighting and has even gotten more confident in his abilities, now that he's a Black Kampfer. But he was on edge because anyone in the school could be a possible enemy, not including Kaede and her gang. This took him back to the day he found out about the Reds and Blues, how alert he was when he realized that the enemy could be someone as close as his best friend. He scoffed to himself.

"Good Morning", a voice said from behind. They turned to look, it was Shizuku. "I see you two are as close as ever."

Embarrassed, they quickly released each other's hands and hid them behind their backs, making an awkward smile. "Good Morning Madam President!", they said in unison.

Shizuku scowled, "I'm somewhat offended that you keep addressing me by that title."

"Ah, Shizuku-chan", corrected Natsume.

"That's better. I would ask to join you two on your walk but it seems that I'll just be a bother", said Shizuku keeping a straight face.

"Actually, Mada-I mean uhh, Shizuku…chan", said Natsuru awkwardly. "There's actually something we think you should know, about the Kampfers."

"Save it for later", she said coldly. "I've got a lot of work to take care of. If you'll excuse me." She walked past the two, giving Natsume a smile and totally ignoring Natsuru.

Natsuru looked at her as she walked off, scratching his head, he turned to Natsume. "Did I do something wrong?", he asked.

She closed her eyes, shook her head, and sighed. "Come on, let's go", she said already walking ahead.

'…Women are complicated creatures', he thought.

"I heard that!"

The school was coming into view, it's large blue windows that shine in the light made it look all the more prestigious. The blue and white checkers of the girls' side and the bland concrete of the boys' side, it really was two different worlds. The two were walking among all the other students who were calmly going to class. But something caught Natsuru's eye, a girl with light orange hair with a cyan bow that kept her hair in a ponytail. She was walking to the girls' side, and as she turned around, Natsuru's eyes widened. 'Sakura-san', he thought.

She took notice and waved at them, then walked towards them. Natsume tensed up, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists as if she couldn't hold back on throwing a punch. "Not here", said Natsuru, still keeping his eyes on Sakura as she approached. Natsume calmed herself down, he was right after all. It certainly wouldn't end well if she started a fight here, let alone a normal fight, Natsume was close to throwing some magic her way. Which is understandable, seeing someone you hate appear to act as if nothing had ever happened, and that you have no choice but to be fake in their midst. That would probably piss a lot of people off.

"Good morning, Natsuru-san!", said Sakura.

"Good morning", they said in unison. A good amount of people still know Natsume as Natsuru.

"Hmph, just so you know, I will never let you have her!", said Sakura pointing at Natsuru. Natsuru chuckled nervously as he looked to Natsume.

"Oh Natsuru-san, how I've missed you!", said Sakura giving Natsume a bear hug.

"Th-Thanks", said Natsume.

"Well then, let's head to class shall we?", said Sakura grabbing Natsume's hand. She quickly retracted it from her grasp, leaving Sakura standing there, a bit bewildered.

"Natsuru-san?"

"Umm, this may be strange…but", said Natsume. Then, she thought of a great idea, so great that she just couldn't hide her smile. 'Let's have some fun, shall we Kaede?', she thought. "I actually transferred over to the boys' side now", said Natsume.

"What!", exclaimed Kaede, her jaw practically dropped. "How could this happen! We need to go get this sorted out right away!"

"Well, it was my choice", explained Natsume.

"W-What? How could you enjoy being surrounded by a bunch of smelly, sweaty, perverted guys?"

Natsume chuckled, "While it's true that the smell is unpleasant, I am able to endure such things because I get to be with the love of my life. Despite all the guys fondling over me, I have my eyes set only on him!", she said with much dramatic action.

"…Don't tell me"

"You already know!", said Natsume. She hugged Natsuru's arm and pressed her chest up against him, making him blush.

'Oi! What are you planning?', thought Natsuru. Natsume just smiled back.

"B-But how could you ever like this…_guy_!", asked Kaede.

"Isn't that how it's supposed to be?", asked Natsume. "Besides, he's already shown me what it is to be a woman. Right, _darling_?", she said twirling her finger on his chest. At this point, Natsume was trying her hardest not to burst out in laughter, but on the other hand, Natsuru was left standing there, his face as red as a tomato. "We should get to class now, _darling_", said Natsume, dragging Natsuru with her leaving Kaede's ghost outline wallowing in the wind.

Natsume bursted into laughter as she took her seat behind Natsuru. "Did you see the look on her face?", asked Natsume in mid-laugh.

"What was that whole _darling_ stuff back there?", he asked embarrassingly.

"I was just messing around with her", she replied. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

"Don't you think you might've taken it a bit too far?"

"She tried to kill you", said Natsume with a -_- look.

"Well yeah…and now she'll probably want me dead even more!"

"Don't worry! I'll protect you!", said Natsume, patting his shoulder.

Natsuru sighed, dropping his head onto Natsume's desk as he sat to the side of his chair. She ran her hand through his head, stroking his hair and humming cheerfully.

"You know that things aren't going to be easy for us, right?", asked Natsuru.

"Yeah, I know. But we'll get through it somehow, right?", she said with a grin.

"Oi, Senou!"

"What's up, Higashida?", said Natsuru lifting his head.

"Good morning, Higashida", said Natsume.

"Good morning Senou-san!", he said with delight.

"You can call me Natsume", she chuckled.

Higashida gasped and went on his knees, "It would be my honor!", he yelled.

"So, what's up?", asked Natsuru.

Higashida stood back up, "Just came here to ask about when we can have our photo shoot!"

"Photo shoot? Oh yeah, I remember now. Uhh I don't know, after school I guess?", said Natsuru.

"Alright! Sounds good. Oh yeah, Natsuru, be careful", said Higashida pointing towards the door to the hallway, filled with envious guys looking in.

Natsuru groaned, "Yeah…thanks."

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><p>The school day was nearing its end, with their last period being some good old physical education. Everyone was suiting up in their P.E. attire, Natsuru and Higashida were sitting down on a bench right outside the locker room. Which was located inside the large gym. "Say Natsuru, how did you even meet someone like her?" asked Higashida.<p>

"Who? Natsume?"

"Of course! Who else would I be talking about?"

"Oh, uhh….." Natsuru's mind went blank. He never actually thought of being asked about how they met, and he sure as hell couldn't tell him how they really met. Not that Higashida would believe him anyway. "It was…pretty embarrassing, I'd rather not talk about it", said Natsuru with a nervous chuckle.

"Fair enough", said Higashida. "But hey, you should hook me up with one of her friends! They're pretty cute, right?"

"Maybe."

"Sorry for making you wait", said Natsume. She walked up to the bench and stood in front of where they were sitting. She was wearing a pair of black spandex with a girl's P.E. shirt. The two couldn't help but stare. "You know, you shouldn't stare so obviously at a girl", Natsume laughed.

"Well if you're wearing that…", said Natsuru.

"I had no choice! These damn things are so big I could barely fit into the shirt!", said Natsume as she tried pushing her chest down.

"Oi oi! Stop doing that!", said Natsuru, grabbing her arms.

"No! No! Keep going, it'll work if you do it long enough", said Higashida with a lewd smile.

"Really?"

"No! Wait, don't listen to him!"

"Alright! Everyone listen up and gather around!", yelled the coach. "We'll be doing some fitness tests today, so be prepared. I also know that we have a special student here with us today, but that's no reason to be slacking off! Now, listen for you names, I'll be calling people in pairs to work together."

The coach read through the names, pairing everyone up. "Senou, Natsuru with Higashida, Mikihito."

"Excuse me, but which Senou, Natsuru?", asked Natsuru.

"The male one, you"

"Aw great!", groaned Higashida.

"Next up, _female_ Senou, Natsuru with Aizawa, Yamato."

Natsume looked to Natsuru, "That's too bad. I thought we'd get paired up for sure!", said Natsume.

"Yeah, I guess it can't be helped", said Natsuru.

Natsume felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned around to face a guy, about the same height as Natsuru. "Hi, I'm Aizawa, Yamato, pleased to meet you", he said. He had short black hair that was spiked up with eyes of a brownish-hazel color.

Natsume turned her body to face him, "Ah, nice to meet you Aizawa-kun. I'm Senou, Natsuru"

"Of course! The only girl in all of the boys' side. You're more popular than you think!", he said with poise.

"I'm flattered, but I'm really not as you say", said Natsume.

Aizawa chuckled, "Either way, I look forward to working with you."

"You two", said the coach gesturing at Natsume and Aizawa to come to him.

Natsume walked away waving at Natsuru with a smile on her face. Next to her walked Aizawa. "Hey, are you going to let that go?", asked Higashida.

Natsuru paused for a moment, still keeping his eye on Natsume. "It's fine. I trust her", he said.

"Is it fine if I call you Natsuru-san?", asked Aizawa.

"Sure, but you can call me Natsume too if you'd like. Having the same name as someone else is confusing at times", she answered.

"Natsume-san, that's a nice name, then you can call me Yamato. By the way, are you and that other Natsuru related?"

"No no not at all!", she said shaking her head. "He's my boyfriend, actually", she said timidly.

Yamato laughed to himself, "So then the rumors were true, huh."

"I guess so", she said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Anyways, we should probably get going", said Yamato.

"Get going? Where are we going?", she asked.

"The coach asked us to put away the hurdles out on the track field so we can run."

"Ah, I see."

The class emptied out of the gym and onto the track field. The field circled around a large rectangular grassy area, which was probably used for soccer or other track and field events. On both sides of the straightaway were bleachers that stretched out the length of the track. There were sets of hurdles that were spread out all across the lanes.

"Let's get started, shall we?", said Yamato.

The rest of the class was stretching or doing their own while Natsume and two other pairs of guys were putting away the hurdles.

"So Natsume-san, what made you want to transfer over to the boys' side?"

"Well…", she paused for a moment. "I guess I just wanted to try something different."

"Is that so?", chuckled Yamato. "I don't even know how you managed to do that. I'm surprised you haven't gone back yet, I don't think I could stand being the only girl around a bunch of guys."

"I manage somehow", said Natsume while laughing.

Natsuru was stretching out his legs, bending over and stretching out his palms towards the floor. He stood back up and outstretched his arms towards the sky, bringing them back down to his side and twisting his torso left and right. He looked out onto the track field to the people putting the hurdles away and found Natsume on the far end of the field. She was walking with Yamato while carrying four hurdles on both arms, Yamato was only carrying one on each.

He chuckled to himself, and noticed that she too was chuckling, or rather laughing. She seemed to be hitting it off quite well, he was worried that she wouldn't fit in. Of course that was not the case, being the only girl at a practically all male school doesn't hurt your situation either. Natsuru was glad, but he also felt a bit…alone. Jealous even. 'What am I thinking?', he thought. 'I can't expect her to be only with me all the time.' He shook the thought out of his head, feeling a bit ashamed of himself for having felt this way.

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><p>A week has gone by and things have been pretty quiet for the most part, aside from Mikoto hell-raising in the morning. There's been no sighting of Kaede or the four other Whites on the girls' side. For the first time in a long time, he was stressed out. Stressed out from the waiting, school, and surprisingly enough, Natsume. There was just something in his head that he couldn't get out, Aizawa, Yamato. Natsuru was in his room, trying to concentrate on some homework when his cell-phone rang loudly, breaking the silence in the room. He jumped to his feet and quickly picked it up to look at the caller ID.<p>

"Prez?", he answered quickly.

"Hello Natsuru, you seem to be startled, everything alright?", she replied.

"Ah yeah, the phone just surprised me a little", he said chuckling nervously.

"I see, but anyways. I was poking around to see what I could dig up on Kaede. It's very strange, the school's records on her are very limited, not much is known about her."

"Well, sorta saw that one coming, I mean she's not exactly human. Right?"

"Not sure, but we do know that she is definitely a moderator, which makes me even more nervous. Her absence records only say that she is 'sick', same goes for the other four. They're definitely up to something."

Natsuru's thoughts shot back to Shousuke, the other Black Kampfer. He hasn't heard back from him ever since Natsuru joined up with them. 'Maybe he's out looking for others?', he thought. Natsuru felt that he should tell Shizuku about Shousuke and his plans, but for some reason, decided not to.

"Natsuru?", said Shizuku.

"Oh, sorry! But yeah, I hear you. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them."

"Mmm, just be careful", said Shizuku.

Natsuru closed his phone and set it down on the table. He leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling and rested his head on the back of his chair. He was glad that there hasn't been much conflict in a while, but with that said, it's as if he was postponing the inevitable. Pretty soon he'll be up to his neck dealing with the Whites and being involved with Shousuke. Should he give him a call right now? No, that'd be pointless. He was feeling a bit agitated though, the thought of expecting to get into a fight or encountering an enemy at any moment can wear you down pretty quickly. Maybe that's just what he needs right now, a good fight to shake off the stress and irritation. He chuckled to himself and at his contradictory thought process. He was feeling edgy and irritable, sitting back in his chair, he made a pissed off look and went back to his homework.

"Natsuruuuuu~", groaned the blue haired woman as she barged into his room. She fell onto his bed as if the life had been sucked out of her. "Fooooood, hungryyyy", she whined, weakly flailing her arms about like a child.

He tilted his head to look at Natsume, who was still doing whatever she was doing on his bed. "Not now, Natsume", he said.

Natsume stopped and sat up in the bed, a little taken back by Natsuru's attitude, "Is something wrong?", she asked.

"Nothing's wrong…"

She knew something was obviously wrong. She got up from the bed and walked over next to Natsuru, who seemed to be ignoring her presence. She looked at his face, then to the mess of papers laid out on the table. He was staring intently at the papers in front of him, arms crossed with a serious expression. Natsume hesitated for a moment, afraid that she might spark a negative reaction. She walked behind him and placed her hands on his broad shoulders, which were feeling very tense to the touch. Natsuru snapped his body forwards to get away from her reach, which shocked her quite a bit.

"Natsuru…wha-"

"Can't you see I'm busy?", snapped Natsuru.

"What's wrong with you? You're acting strange!", Natsume snapped back.

"How? If anyone's acting strange, it's you! Getting all close to that Aizawa guy."

"What? He's a friend, Natsuru! He's the first friend I've made on my own, I thought you'd be happy for me…"

"Yeah? Well, good for you."

The room fell silent, with the two of them awkwardly waiting for one another to say something. Natsuru was surprised at himself, he's never gotten so irritated over anything, so why now? He wanted to be happy for her, he didn't want to snap at her, but something just took over him.

"…Natsuru…are you…jealous?", asked Natsume finally.

Natsuru was shocked. Jealousy? Was that what he was feeling? "What do you know…", said Natsuru.

"I'd never do something like that, Natsuru", she said putting her hand on his shoulder once again.

He stood up from his chair and broke away from her. He headed towards the door without saying a word to her.

"Where are you going?", asked Natsume with worry.

"A walk", he said as he disappeared from her view past the doorway, leaving her alone in the room.

A walk sounded good to him right now, should give him some time to clear his head. Natsuru was surprised even at himself, actually being jealous of some other guy, he thought as he slipped on a pair of shoes and walked out the door. He stepped out into the porch that was lit by a wall lamp and into the cool, alluring air. He continued his trek up the street, lit by a series of street lamps and one or two cars passing by. Maybe his feelings of irritation were from his lack of experience with relationships. He shrugged it off and quickly came to his conclusion that he may have been acting a bit immature…just a bit. Apologizing to her when he got back would be the right thing to do, but he felt a little embarrassed for having acted that way. Before he realized it, he arrived at the local convenience store. He figured he might as well go in and buy something, being right there and all. Natsuru nonchalantly walked in, picked up some manga, snacks, and some canned coffee. He looked at the items in the bag that hung by his side, hoping that they would serve as some form of an apology. Natsuru started walking when he froze in place from the grasp of a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey there."

Natsuru stumbled forwards and quickly turned around to see that it was Shousuke and Nanami, the Black Kampfers he met at the beach. "Phew, you guys scared me", said Natsuru.

Shousuke let out a hearty laugh, "Sorry about that, didn't think we'd see you so soon honestly. We just happened by, you live around here?", said Shousuke.

"Yeah I do, but, if you guys are here, does that mean you're finished with your business?", asked Natsuru.

"Not quite", said Nanami. "We've found some other Black Kampfers but we're having a hard time getting them to cooperate. By the way, where's the other one?"

"Oh uhh, she's at home right now."

"That's a bit dangerous, Natsuru", said Shousuke. "What if we were the enemy? Then you'd have been unable to defend yourself since she's nowhere nearby."

He was right, Natsuru made a reckless decision to come out alone, on top of that he left alone at night. "I…I wasn't thinking", replied Natsuru.

Shousuke and Nanami looked at each other for a moment, "Hey, you okay man?", asked Shousuke.

"Yeah…", said Natsuru. "She and I just got into a little argument is all."

"Ah, I see. Well then you'd better-

Shousuke stopped himself and proceeded draw his weapon with Nanami following suite. The three huddled together with their backs touching, aware that there were a great number of enemies surrounding them. Natsuru tried to tap into his power, but even after he did he felt no big difference. He cursed under his breath, blaming himself for getting into this predicament. Had he not been so stubborn back then, none of this would have happened. His mind was racing with regret and forlorn.

"Natsuru!", shouted Shousuke. "Focus!"

Natsuru snapped back to attention, now was not definitely not the time for that. He has to make it out of this one alive.

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm trying to add some more romantic aspects without sacrificing from the action/adventure genre with presenting some typical relationship problems. Didn't bother re-reading this chapter (like I usually **should **:P), hope it's alright :D

As always, I shall do my best to get these out sooner. Although I have not been doing a very good job with that :x

Comments, criticisms, etc are always welcome!

つづく！


	9. Chapter 9: Idiot

Sorry for the update gaps, been busy with school and other crap. Anyways, this chapter is pretty short because I wanted to get it out ASAP. Hope most of you guys are still reading. And tell me what you'd like to see or if there's anything I'm deviating from. :P

More updates in the future, hopefully. I will include a summary in this chapter because of the long update gap. Usually when I follow other people and read a new chapter, I sometimes forget things that happened before.

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><p><strong>Summary<strong>

Continuing from the last chapter, Natsume had recently made her first friend on her own. But as Natsuru's unexpected jealousy built up after some time, he grew restless and became hostile towards Natsume. Heated, he decides to take a walk to cool his head off where he meets the two Black Kampfers; Shousuke and Nanami, as well the hostile White Kamfpers.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 - Idiot<strong>

Natsuru is in quite a bit of a bind. Not only was he ambushed by the Whites who had appeared out of nowhere, but on top of that, his power is only a fraction of what it was without Natsume around. Although the situation is dire, all hope is not lost as Natsuru ran into Shousuke and Nanami, the other Black Kampfers.

"Hey, Natsuru," said Shousuke. "Don't even think about fighting, you won't stand a chance."

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" shouted Natsuru.

"You need to get back to wherever your partner is, as fast as possible. You know where she is, right?"

"Yeah, I left her at home."

"Alright, I'm assuming she was also left alone. This could be very bad, for all we know, we just fell right into their trap."

"Does that mean they've targeted Natsume too?!"

"Most likely. We'll make it out of here alive if you listen to me, got it?"

Natsuru nodded silently, eyeing the numerous enemies that surrounded them on the street and the rooftops. Without his power, he was dead weight for Shousuke and Nanami, but there was nothing he could do. His stomach dropped as the Whites charged them at once, with the sound of magic being cast, blades hitting against one another, and gunshots ringing through the air.

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><p>Natsume watched Natsuru from the porch as he walked away, disappearing behind a corner. She had never seen Natsuru act this way before, even when he first got the Bracelet of Oath. She stood outside for a little while longer before going back inside as she was not wearing much to keep warm against the cold night. She stepped into the kitchen and turned on the lights, stopping for a moment to listen to the piercing silence of the house. She made herself some tea and sat on the couch with her legs tucked up to her chest, taking sips here and there. She turned on the television and left it on a random channel. Now, she started to think. She thought about how Natsuru was acting and concluded that he was jealous of her new friend. That much she knew, but she didn't know the reason for it. There was no way that she was at fault, right? Wouldn't the person that tells you that they care also wish for your own happiness?<p>

Small drops of tears fell from her eyes as she became more and more frustrated and confused. 'Do you not want me to have my own friends?', she thought. There was much she did not know of this world and inner workings of the human being, but she did know that she was not wrong. She knew this and yet, she was only feeling more and more distressed. She continued to sip her tea and tried to focus on the t.v., trying to take her mind off of it. Before she knew it, her right leg twitched as she felt a pain that came from her thigh. Natsume scowled as she leaned forward and clutched her thigh as the excruciating pain made her immobile. 'Natsuru!" she thought as she struggled to overcome the pain. The pain was slowly starting to fade, Natsume took the opportunity to grab the house phone and go through the recent calls list. She didn't know anyone's phone number by memory. She cycled through the list of calls until she found a familiar name, 'KOUNDOU, MIKOTO'. She quickly dialed the number.

"Hello? Natsuru? What's u-," answered Mikoto on the phone.

"Mikoto! It's Natsume, come to the house quick! It's an emergency!" pleaded Natsume.

"O-Okay! I'll tell everyone else too! You sound like you're hurt, are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just hurry!" said Natsume as she hung up.

Natsume dropped the phone as pain ran through her abdomen, as if she was stabbed by something. She doubled over and fell to the ground, trying to hold back screams of pain as she clutched the area where the pain was coming from. She whimpered under her breath and cursed herself for being so helpless. Even though she knew that Natsuru was in trouble, there was nothing she could do.

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><p>Natsuru breathed heavily, his hand clutched his lower abdomen where a large stain of blood could be seen. He was barely able to get away from the Whites thanks to Shousuke and Nanami, but was stabbed in the process. He didn't know whether or not the two made it out alive as well, his mind was dazed with pain and fatigue from running. Was this the right direction to his house? It didn't matter, his fight or flight mechanism overtook him, compelling him to just get the hell out and keep running. Natsuru stumbled over as the wound took its toll on his body, grunting in pain as he tried to brace the impact with his hands. He turned over onto his back as he gasped for air and laid still. The blood from his wound seeped through his shirt and onto the floor, making a small puddle under him. He was starting to get a little cold. Much to his dismay, he heard footsteps walking towards him from the direction he was running from. His stomach sunk as a feeling of hopelessness fell over him from having barely made an escape to end up in this situation.<p>

"Looks like you didn't get too far," a female voice chuckled. She leisurely walked over to Natsuru and stomped on his wound. He yelled out in pain, grabbing her foot in an attempt to lift it off his stomach. "Time for you to die!" said the White as she brought her sword above his body. Natsuru gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, preparing himself for the deathblow. A scream was heard, followed by the sound of the sound of a blade twisting through flesh, and finally a thud. Natsuru did nothing but lay still and continued to breathe heavy breaths. He felt his arm being lifted up and propped over what felt to be someone's back as he was lifted off the ground. This person carried a familiar scent, a scent that he once grew to fear and eventually come to like.

"Shizuku…?" said Natsuru weakly.

"Quiet, don't speak," she said with coldness and worry in her voice. "You've already lost a lot of blood."

"Ah…sorry about that," said Natsuru. The two continued their trek back to Natsuru's house at a steady pace, with Shizuku supporting Natsuru as he limped with every step. A couple minutes had passed until the silence was broken as Natsuru collapsed to the ground, unable to support himself with his legs any longer.

"Natsuru!" said Shizuku as she carefully moved him over to a nearby bench. She slowly set him down on his back and inspected his wound that was left unattended. She quickly tore off the jacket she was wearing, using the pieces of torn cloth to bandage the wound. She wrapped several layers over it, tightening the last layer as to cease the flow of blood. Natsuru grunted as she finished tying the makeshift bandage.

"Thanks," he grunted.

Shizuku stood up and looked down at him with a smile before taking out her phone and pressing a few buttons. "Hey, it's me. I found him...He's wounded but he's alright for now, it wouldn't be a good idea for him to move around so much though…Right, I'll call an ambulance," said Shizuku, closing her cellphone.

"Who was that?" asked Natsuru.

"Akane, she and I were out searching for you."

"I see…what about Mikoto and Natsume?"

"Mikoto stayed behind to guard Natsume."

"Ah…what a relief…"

Natsuru looked up at Shizuku, who was standing next to him. She was on her guard, surveying the area for any more enemies as she looked around.

"Hey Shizuku…thanks," said Natsuru with a laugh.

Shizuku smiled back, "I'm surprised you can still laugh with a hole in your stomach."

"Ah…yeah…I guess it kind of hurts."

Shizuku chuckled, turning her body towards him, she swiftly lifted Natsuru's head and rested it on her lap. Natsuru's face took on a shade of pink as their eyes met, her purple eyes that seemed to glisten from the streetlights caught him in a trance. He quickly looked away, bewildered by his own thoughts.

"By the way Shizuku, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know why I've never noticed it until now, but…do you have feelings for me?"

Shizuku was surprised that he brought up such a topic. "What a ridiculous question…would it make any difference if I give you an answer?" she said with a hint of sadness.

"I supposed you're right," said Natsuru. "I never really gave you a chance or properly looked at you. And for that, I'm sorry."

"You really are a dense idiot, you know that?" said Shizuku as she made her way towards his lips. She planted one of her signature kisses, sneaking in her tongue as she normally would. She continued her assault for several more moments before retracting her lips with a sigh of satisfaction, leaving Natsuru staring at her face in paralysis.

"But I think I'm the biggest idiot here."


	10. Chapter 10: Senou Household

Hey gaiz, back with another chapter for ya. I'm trying to keep a good balance between the action and daily life of the story, although it seems like I'm leaning more into daily life. But nevertheless, I'll be writing more action scenes in the chapters to come.

Anyways, as always I'll try to get these out as quickly as possible. I found a good way to keep pace with my writing. I usually get in around 100 words when I'm waiting for a game of LoL to start, because they can take a while. Just a little fyi to let you know that I'm constantly writing. Hope you guys enjoy this one. Questions, comments, criticisms and the like are always welcome.

**R&R and enjoy!** (BTW if any of you guys play League, add me ^.^ Copper27 )

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 - Senou Household<strong>

Natsuru slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness to a pale white ceiling. He blinked a couple times before attempting to sit up in his bed, but stopped from the pain that shot up his body in an attempt to move. His entire body was aching as if he had just gone through a twenty-four hour workout, except he had a hole in his stomach. He remembered that he had been ambushed and stabbed by the White Kampfers with Shousuke and Nanami. Again, Natsuru tried to sit up with the support of his arms, but failed another time as his body felt as if it was depleted of energy. He let out a heavy sigh, looking to his arm where he noticed a connection of morphine. 'That's right,' he thought. 'The ambulance came for me…' He laid there for several more moments as he recalled the events that took place prior to his hospitalization. Then his heart sunk as he thought of Natsume, since he had left her alone back at the house. He looked around for a phone or a service button nearby and caught a glimpse of blue while quickly surveying the room. There was a girl with blue hair who sat next to the bed resting her head next to Natsuru's left arm. She seemed to be sound asleep, with her shoulders oscillating slightly to the rhythm of her breathing.

A feeling of relief swept over Natsuru who was more than happy to see that she was unharmed. The way the light from the sun shone on her made her look all the more peaceful and angelic. He ran his hand through her hair gently, playing with the locks of soft blue fringes that ran through his fingers. Waking up from her short slumber, the girl met his hand with hers and brought it down to her chin where she rested her head on it.

"I was so worried," she finally said as she reached out to embrace Natsuru. He stroked her head as she rested her head under his chin, careful to not make contact with his wound.

"Natsume…I…I'm sorry. None of this would've happened if I had just been honest, and-"

"Who cares about that?! I seriously thought you were going to die!" she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

Natsuru chuckled, "Don't worry, there's no way I'd die from a small wound! But at any rate, a man should always admit when he's wrong, so will you forgive me?"

She looked up at him and made a pouting face. "What did I just say?"

"Haha sorry," said Natsuru. He quickly moved in and gave her a kiss, supporting his advance as he held her with his hand. He promptly retracted away, leaving the two of them with an air of intimacy as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" said a voice from the doorway. There stood Shizuku as well as the doctor. She was dressed in her casual attire wearing a noticeable smirk on her face, along with a good sized box wrapped in cloth in her hand.

"N-No! Not at all," said Natsuru as they both jerked away from each other.

"I see," said Shizuku as she walked over to them. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but other than that, I seem to be fine."

"That's good to hear, you gave us quite the scare, you've been out for a while you know?" said the doctor.

"What? How long?" asked Natsuru.

"Two weeks," said Natsume.

"Wow…I must have been in pretty bad shape."

"After losing so much blood, you were on the verge of death," said the doctor. "But luckily we made it on time."

"…Do my parents know about this?" asked Natsuru.

"Ah yes, the hospital let them know. Sorry, but it's a policy we have here to notify any immediate family members," said the doctor.

"Oh no, it's fine. I was just wondering."

"Come to think of it Natsuru, I've never seen your parents," said Shizuku.

"That's because they're never home. They're always out of the country doing whatever."

"So that's why I've never seen them, I always wondered!" said Natsume.

"Well at any rate, you should be good to go by next week," said the doctor.

"Thank you, doctor," said Natsuru.

"Oh right, I brought some food," said Shizuku.

"Yay! Thanks again Shizuku-chan!"

"Food? Awesome, I'm starving," said Natsuru weakly.

"Sorry Senou-kun, but that will have to wait. Now that you're awake, we need to run some tests," said the doctor.

"Ah right, of course!"

* * *

><p>"Finally home," said Natsuru as he threw himself onto the couch. He let out a sigh of satisfaction from the feeling of finally being liberated from the hospital room.<p>

"Want something to eat?" asked Natsume from the kitchen.

Natsuru looked over at her in surprise asking, "Since when could you cook?"

"Just recently actually, Shizuku's been teaching me," she replied.

"Seems like you two are getting along pretty well."

"Yeah I know, it was a bit awkward at first, but it turned out okay!" she said with a smile.

Natsuru got up from the couch and walked over to the island counter of the kitchen where the sink was. The stove and oven were across from the sink on the other side along with the refrigerator sitting in the corner. He rested his elbows on the counter and watched Natsume as she rummaged through the refrigerator.

"This feels like a dream…" he said.

She stopped her search and turned to face Natsuru with a big smile, to which Natsuru reciprocated. Then, the sound of the doorbell being rung ran throughout the house.

"Coming!" said Natsuru. He wasn't expecting anyone today, or if anyone was going to come over, they would have called beforehand. He walked over to the door, opening it to face a very familiar couple standing in the porch.

"Hey Natsuru!"

Natsuru stood at the doorway frozen in place, his expression was that of surprise and fear. "Wh…What are you guys doing here?" he said as nonchalantly as possible.

"What do you mean? You expect us not to come by when we heard that our son was hospitalized?!"

"N-No Dad, that's…" choked Natsuru.

"Oh I was so worried about you!" said the blue haired woman who threw her arms around Natsuru.

"Thanks Mom…" said Natsuru as he nervously hugged her back.

"It's good to be home again," said Natsuru's dad, patting him on the shoulders and walking into the house.

"Wait! Hang on Dad, don't go in yet!" Natsuru panicked. His dad turned to him with a confused expression. "The house is a mess! Let me clean it first before you go in!"

"What are you talking about? We're already here, and who cares about that stuff anyway?" his dad replied. "I'm home!" The blue haired man took off his shoes and walked into the house, turning into the doorway towards the kitchen. He took a satisfying deep breath and looked around the room with his hands on his hips. His gaze stopped as he spotted Natsume in the kitchen, staring back at him with the same look of confusion.

"…Uhhh, honey? Did we have a daughter?" he asked as he turned his head to the doorway.

"What are you talking about? Of course not!" said Natsuru's mom as she walked in to find the two staring at each other. "…Oh my."

* * *

><p>"Alright Natsuru, what's going on?"<p>

The four of them were sitting down on the couch in the living room, with Natsuru and Natsume on and his parents on another. Natsume was eyeing them over, quickly noticing the resemblance with Natsuru. His father had many similar features with Natsuru, with the main difference being his long hair and his sharp furrowed eyes. His stare shot a chill down Natsume's spine as he eyed her over. She made a nervous smile and looked to Natsuru's mother, who was sitting to the left of his father. Her fine blue hair ran all the way down to her lap but had shorter bangs than Natsume. She had a tranquil presence, with her hands folded on her lap and smiling at the two, unlike her husband.

"Well…uh…" said Natsuru. His father shot a glare at him.

"Excuse me, but what is your name?" his mom asked with a kind smile.

"Ah, I'm Natsume, nice to meet you," she said as she stood up and bowed.

"What a beautiful name, and so well-mannered too. You can call me Kotoko. Come now, shouldn't you introduce yourself too?" she said to her husband.

"Hang on Dad, before you say anything just hear me out! Her situation is kind of complicated so I had no choice but to have her stay here and-"

Natsuru stopped his explanation as his father stood and walked to Natsume. He continued to stare at her with his piercing eyes, examining her from head to toe, which made her all the more nervous. He shot back to Natsuru and with a straight face gave him a thumbs up.

"Please call me 'Daddy!'" he finally said.

"Huh?!" said Natsume.

The man was promptly sent flying across the room from a kick to the temple by his wife.

"Please excuse him," said Kotoko. "He can get a little eccentric at times."

Natsuru sighed, "He hasn't changed at all. By the way, his name is Serizawa, but try to avoid him."

"How cruel! How can you say such a thing about your father?" said Serizawa from the floor. "I have decided, as my daughter, she must address me as 'Daddy'!"

"Did you really want a daughter that bad?!" exclaimed Natsuru.

Natsume chuckled nervously, "Um, excuse me…mom?" she said timidly.

Kotoko turned to Natsume, her eyes lit up with happiness. "What is it Natsume-chan?"

"Oh god, Mom not you too…"

"On a serious note," said Serizawa as he took his seat. "What's this about you being hospitalized?"

"Oh right…well…I was stabbed, nothing too serious."

"What?!" his parents said in unison. "Was it those bastards from the east?! They got guts coming onto our turf," said Serizawa in anger

"No no! It wasn't Yakuza related, it was just a guy who tried to rob me."

"Maybe we should assign some bodyguards?" suggested Kotoko.

"No, it's okay. I was just being careless that day."

"It's my fault!" interjected Natsume. "It was my fault that he got hurt. If I'd been there then that never would've happened…"

Natsuru looked at her as a sense of guilt rode up his gut. In actuality, it was all his fault and he knew that. "What are you saying? You didn't do anything wrong, I was being an idiot," said Natsuru.

"But still…"

"At any rate…" said Kotoko as she moved to hug her son. "I'm just glad you're safe now," she said with a big smile. She turned to Natsume, "Don't worry about it, Natsume-chan, so please don't blame yourself. I can already tell that you truly care for him, so please continue to take care of my son."

"Of course!" said Natsume.

"Geez Mom…"

Kotoko chuckled, "Sorry, did I embarrass you in front of your girlfriend?"

Natsuru stuttered, "How did you know she was my girlfriend?!"

"I didn't, but now I do," said Kotoko with a wink. The two of them blushed and turned away from each other, looking down at their feet. Serizawa couldn't help but laugh from their embarrassment.

"Looks like I'm gonna be a young grandfather", said Serizawa.

At this point, both of them had jumped off of the couch in embarrassment.

* * *

><p>"Your parents are really nice," said Natsume. The two were sitting on the couch in the living watching television. It was already night time and they had just finished eating dinner.<p>

"You think so?" said Natsuru.

"Of course, I mean your dad looks kind of mean at first, but he's actually very kind. So does your mom, except I have a feeling that can get pretty violent."

"Yeah they're pretty easygoing. They seem to have taken a liking to you already."

"I feel like I'm their daughter," she said with a laugh.

"Well they've always wanted a daughter, but they never really had the time for it."

"I see." Their conversation drifted away as the television filled the silence. "Hey Natsuru, do you think I'll ever…"

"Hmm? What's up?"

"Ah..sorry, just daydreaming, it's nothing."


	11. Chapter 11: Decisions

Hey guys, back with another chapter for y'all. Just a heads up, this chapter contains drama! The next chapter shall contain action and guns.

As always, please R&R and hope you enjoy.

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong> **- Decisions**

"Yo! Senou, welcome back man!" said Higashida. Natsuru and Natsume both walked to their seats at a steady pace as everyone started crowding towards Natsuru.

"Senou! I heard you got stabbed, is that true!?" asked a classmate.

Yeah Yeah! And that you were in the hospital for a while?"

Natsuru laughed nervously, "Well…something like that I guess," he said.

"Geez, guess we should be more careful at night. By the way, how're you feeling?" asked Higashida.

"He's feeling a lot better now thanks to me, right?!" said Natsume as she glomped him from behind, letting her assets rest atop his head.

"Senou! You bastard, I wish I could be taken care of by Natsume-sama!" shouted Higashida followed by agreement from their classmates.

"Alright everyone, take your seats!" said the teacher as he came walking in. He walked to the podium in front of the class and set down a stack of papers he was holding before clearing his throat. "I'm sure you all know that the date of the class trip is soon approaching and that you are all very excited."

"Yeah!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Very good, I will now be handing out the information for this year's trip. So read it thoroughly and carefully!" said the teacher.

"Class trip?" asked Natsume. "What's this all about?"

Natsuru took the papers from the classmate in front of him before turning around to Natsume. "It's an annual trip where the second years of the whole school participates," he said.

"A trip to a mountain-side resort huh?" said Natsume looking at the handout. "It sounds fun, but how come everyone is so excited?"

"It's an opportunity for the guys to mingle with the girls! Since this school is cruelly separating the student body, everyone takes any chance they get," said Natsuru.

"Ehh, is that so? Then I'm sure that you're super excited about being able to 'mingle' with Kaede, huh?" said Natsume crossing her arms.

"Wait what?! No, that's not what I mean! That's not the case anymo-"

"Hmph!"

Natsuru lowered his head, ceasing all attempts at a rebuttal and sighed.

"I'm just kidding!" said Natsume as she patted his head.

"Come on now…" said Natsuru with relief.

"Hey guys!" a voice said. Both of them turned to look, it was Aizawa, Yamato, the guy Natsume had met during their physical education class. Turns out he was actually in the same class as them but never really stood out much. "Are you excited for the class trip?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've never been on a trip with a lot of people before, I'm looking forward to it!" said Natsume.

"Really? Then I think you'll enjoy it!" said Aizawa. He then turned to Natsume as if he was zoning out Natsuru saying, "Oh right since it's coming up soon, a couple friends and I were going to go shopping, would you care to join us? Afterwards we'll be going to a karaoke bar too!"

"Umm," said Natsume. She glanced to Natsuru to which he shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I'm really sorry, but it's my turn to cook dinner tonight, so I'll have to be home early," she said with an apologetic smile.

"Alright, another time then. Would it be okay if we exchanged cellphone numbers? Just so I can contact you," said Aizawa.

"Cellphone…? Oh, I actually don't have one," said Natsume as she chuckled.

"Ah what a shame, but we'll hang out soon okay?" he said as he touched her hand and excused himself. He looked back at Natsuru as he walked away with a smirk of spite.

Natsuru noticed this quite obviously and shot a glare back at Aizawa, being discrete enough as to not be noticed by Natsume. Ignoring what had just happened, he then turned to her and cocked his eyebrow, giving Natsume a look of playful suspicion.

"What?" she replied. "He's just a friend!"

"Mmmhmmm."

"Like I said, it's not like that!"

Natsuru patted her head and let out a hearty laugh, "That's payback," to which Natsume pouted.

* * *

><p>The two walked through the door of their house onto the genkan where they were met with darkness and silence. Natsuru flipped a couple switches on the wall as he took off his shoes using his feet, lights now illuminating where they along with the hallway. Natsuru walked into the doorway leading to the living room and dining room followed by Natsume. Turning on the lights, he dropped his bag next to the dining table and walked over to the couch where he let himself fall over. Natsume was in the kitchen, now peering through the refrigerator for ingredients. The silence within the room was broken by the television as Natsuru turned on the t.v. and flipped through the channels with the remote.<p>

"Man, today was so tiring for some reason…" he groaned.

"It wasn't too bad," replied Natsume from the kitchen. "By the way, where are your parents?"

"Who knows? They tend to be out of the house most of the time."

"I see. Well at least nothing bad happened today."

"Guess you're right. But I'm a little worried about what'll happen in the future. I mean, even though our powers are pretty strong, it feels like the Whites still have an advantage. Me almost getting killed was the closest call we've had so far, and who knows what can happen next time?" said Natsuru as he sat up.

Natsume made her way over to the couch, slipped onto Natsuru's lap in a provocative manner, embraced him with her arms, where she then swiftly planted a kiss on his lips. She slowly backed away and comforted him saying, "You think too much."

"To be fair, I'm the one they want dead," he said as he too wrapped his arms around her. He leaned into her lips as he led in with his tongue, which was something he had picked up a certain someone. With heavy breaths, the two's means of communication became nothing more than skin and lips. They soon lost themselves to each other as they fell to the other's embrace.

The next day had come as students slowly filled the classroom with conversation about the class trip that is soon approaching.

"Yo Senou! You ready for the class trip?" asked Higashida.

"Oh…y-yeah!" replied Natsuru.

"Umm, is something the matter?"

"No nothing is! Why do you ask?"

"Well you look a little on edge," said Higashida. Natsuru was indeed on edge, having buttoned his collar shirt all the way up along with covering his neck with his hands made him all the more suspicious.

"Oh really? I just need to use the restroom, excuse me!" said Natsuru as he ran past Higashida and out of the classroom.

Natsuru rushed towards the bathroom, bursting through the doors with haste as he made his way to the sink. He let out a heavy sigh as he looked at himself in the mirror and started to undo the top buttons of his shirt. "Damn it, these things won't go away!" he said as he touched the dark red spots on his neck. Fortunately for him, his collar covered the first spot but left the second one halfway exposed. Natsuru couldn't risk anyone seeing this or else there'd be hell to pay, especially not the other girls. For now, he'll just have to do his best to keep them hidden, but it's only the beginning of the day. He could just pop his collar up, but that would look even stranger and would draw attention. He let out another heavy sigh as he walked out of the bathroom whilst buttoning his shirt. Natsume stood waiting against the wall with a look of worry on her face, walking up to him and fixing his collar as best she could.

"Natsuru I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking!" she said.

"It's fine, don't worry," he reassured her. "I'm just glad that your undershirt covers all of yours."

"Y-Yeah," said Natsume as her cheeks became pink.

"There you are, I've been looking for you!" said a voice. The two jumped at the familiar voice and turned around to face Akane.

"Hey Akane, what's up?" said Natsuru calmly.

"Shizuku wants to meet in the library during break and she told me to let you two know, so make sure to be there," she said.

"Yeah, we'll be there," replied Natsuru.

"Okay then, I'll be going no-"

"Akane?"

"Hey, you piece of shit! What the hell is this!?" shouted the red haired Akane as she tugged at Natsuru's collar. "These had better be mosquito bites or something!" she said with her gun pointed at Natsuru's head.

"W-W-Wait hang on! There's a perfectly good explanation for this!" stuttered Natsuru.

"Bullshit there is!" said Akane letting go of Natsuru. She quickly turned to catch Natsume by the neck as she peeled back the fabric that covered her neck.

"Ah Akane! Stop!"

"I knew it! You bastards have been having a lot of fun together huh?!" said Akane.

"Wait Akane! Please don't tell anyone!" pleaded Natsume.

"Huhhh?! Why shouldn't I?"

"Just…please don't, I'm begging you!" said Natsuru as he bowed his head.

Akane stared at Natsuru as he was still bowing, face full of contempt. She shot a glare towards Natsume, to which she responded in surprise and also bowed.

"…Hmph!" said Akane as she aggressively trudged away leaving the two behind. They watched her walk down the hallway and disappear behind a corner. Looking at one another, they sighed and smiled in relief.

"Let's just head back to class," said Natsuru. To which Natsume nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>"Thank you all for coming," said Shizuku. The five were seated around a circular table on the second level of the library. At this time, there were not many students using the library, save for the handful of male and female students that were on the first floor. "I wanted to talk about Kaede."<p>

"Has there been any new developments with her?" asked Natsume.

"I've been keeping an eye on her but as of right now, there's been nothing new," said Shizuku. "But that is not the case, the Whites attack on Natsuru as well as the Black Kampfers is an obvious hint that Kaede is still on the move."

"Why don't we attack her before she attacks us?" suggested Mikoto. "We almost had her last time, and now we have more people!"

"We can't be too hasty, we have become stronger, but Kaede is still strong herself. Not only that, she also has numbers on her side. If anything, she can get rid of us at any given moment, but I wonder why she hasn't taken action," pondered Shizuku.

"It may be because she's dealing with the other Black Kampfers," Natsuru pointed out. "I don't know how many of us there are, but I know that we're pretty strong."

"By the way Natsuru, have you heard from Shousuke at all since the incident?" asked Natsume.

"Not yet, I'll try contacting them later but I'm sure they made it out alright," said Natsuru.

"Even with the Black Kampfers, what should we do Shizuku?" asked Akane.

"We ourselves aren't in a position to be making decisions, so we must be patient and keep on our guard. So that nothing like last time happens again," said Shizuku as she playfully looked at Natsuru. He locked eyes with her for a moment before darting his eyes away. He blushed as he recalled what had occurred that night. "That's all I wanted to say about this issue, if there are no more questions, then our little meeting is adjourned." She looked around the table to see if anyone had any lingering questions, to which they all shook their heads. "Right then, I have a question for Natsuru, though this is off topic."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, would you please unbutton your collar a little?"

"Eh?...W-what kind of question is that? I like wearing my shirt like this!" retorted Natsuru.

"I see, I was just wondering what the mark on your neck was," said Shizuku as she pointed to said mark.

"Ehh?!" shouted Mikoto. "Don't tell me that's…"

"What I do is my own business! And I'd appreciate it if you all respected that," said Natsuru. The table fell silent as the five sat with their tongues tied. Shizuku did not mean to instigate a reaction like that from Natsuru, perhaps she took it a little too far.

"…I'm sorry everyone," he finally said. "I had to make a decision, if I were to remain indecisive, I would have ended up hurting everyone and wasting your time," he said with a mellow tone.

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Mikoto as she stood up. "Don't say that...All the time I had spent with you up until now has been precious to me. So don't call it a waste," she said as tears welled up in her eyes. "Do whatever you want!" shouted Mikoto as she turned around and ran.

"Mikoto wait!" said Natsuru. He got up but was stopped by Akane.

"You know Natsuru-san…I was really happy when you told me that you thought of me back then. But I guess that's not the case anymore…"

"Akane I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Natsuru was interrupted by a firm punch to the stomach.

"Like hell you're sorry! Don't apologize to me, it's as if you're throwing me away or something!" said Akane. Natsuru held his stomach, but was still standing upright. Akane stood there looking at him as if she was about to say something before she walked away saying, "Forget it, I don't care anymore!"

They watched Akane as she trudged off, leaving the remaining three in silence. Natsuru felt helpless, looking at Shizuku in wait for her time of retribution. Instead, she simply looked back at him with eyes of sympathy and pity, something he does not see often from her.

Confused, he finally said "You don't have anything you want to say?"

"What do you expect me to say?" said Shizuku. "The man I love has just blatantly rejected me, in a rather distasteful way if I might add."

Natsuru cringed at that last comment, biting down on his tongue and looked away as he braced himself for Shizuku's words. Much to his surprise, he found the Student Council President locking lips with him as she playfully danced with his tongue. Natsume could only watch as Shizuku enjoyed her

"…What-"

"We'll leave it at that," said Shizuku as she took her leave. Natsuru sat back down in his chair, sighing heavily as his head hung low.

"Natsuru…" said Natsume as she grabbed his hand. Though what Shizuku just did shocked her, it was not the time for her to be upset about it. Unsure of what to say, she conjured up a warm smile and hugged him with all of her might. A simple act of comfort was all that was needed for Natsuru, whose heart was feeling a little lighter.

"Thank you," he said under his breath.

* * *

><p>"Alright everyone, make sure you don't forget about the printouts. Have fun on the class trip tomorrow!" said the homeroom teacher.<p>

Natsuru rested his chin on his hand and looked outside where the warm blue sky of spring and the sun's rays permeated through the glass. Everyone else was getting ready to leave as conversations about the class trip became the hot topic. Natsuru didn't bother joining in on any of them, he was content with sitting silently at his desk as he thought about how he'd face Akane, Mikoto, and Shizuku the next time they meet. 'I don't think things will remain the same anymore,' he thought. He grimaced at the thought of them no longer being friends or how that things may become awkward around them.

"You know…" said Natsume. She stood in front of his desk with her hands behind her. "When you get sad, I also get sad."

"Yeah I know, sorry about that. I guess I'm just a little down because of how things turned out."

"Hey Senou!" said Higashida. "The other guys and I are going to get something to eat with some girls, you guys wanna come?"

"No thanks I'm good, I'll just head home for today."

"Alright then, suit yourself. See you guys tomorrow!"

"Hmmm…I think I know what'll cheer you up!" said Natsume.

* * *

><p>The two walked side to side down the sidewalk of the busy streets of the city. The sun was fairly high in the sky, lighting up the many windows in buildings and the streets. There were a plethora of people walking around; businessmen, parents with their kids, students from all different grades, and couples.<p>

"Hey Natsume, where are you taking me?" asked Natsuru.

"It's a surprise, so just follow me!" she said as she grabbed his hand.

She led them through the city, weaving around people here and there. Natsuru was surprised that she knew her way around so well, as they've never been to this area of the city before. Hand in hand, they continued their walk down and Natsuru slowly started to feel a sense of familiarity with this area. It was the area of the city where he used to visit often when he was a child with his friends and parents.

"Tada! We're here!" said Natsume. They stood in front of arcade shop. Natsuru's eyes widened as he read its name in neon lights. It was the arcade he'd always spend his with his friends at.

"Natsume…how do you know about this place?" he asked in astonishment.

"I just did a little peeking around inside your head," she said with a chuckle.

"Wait when did you do that?!"

"I'm just kidding! I'm actually not sure, it's kind of just in my head. But anyways, you used to come here a lot back then right?"

"I did, this place brings back a lot of memories," he said as he looked into the arcade.

"Let's go!" said Natsume as she tugged his arm. "Bet you can't beat me in any of those games!"

Natsuru happily accepted that challenge, feeling a sense of nostalgia as he walked into the arcade, he decided to go all out. Afterwards, Natsume took him to his favorite place to eat in that area. It was a small ramen shop almost hidden behind the street corner, there weren't many customers, but their ramen could easily be one of the best. After they had their fun, they ended up at the park Natsuru had taken Natsume a while back. The sun was now setting, its rays that shone over the horizon filled the park with a shade of gold. They sat down on a nearby bench, enjoying the view of the nature around them.

"Thanks for today, Natsume," he said.

"You don't have to thank me, I did this out of my own selfishness!" she responded.

"Of course you did," said Natsuru as he laughed. "But I do feel a lot better now. I feel like a load has been lifted off of my shoulders, now that I know my decision was worth it."

Natsume blushed and giggled, "That was so corny!"

"Was it?" said Natsuru as he held her hand.

"Excuse me if I'm interrupting, but I'm looking for Senou Natsuru," said a voice. The two jumped from their seats at the sound of said voice, turning around to face were it had come from.

"Kaede!"

* * *

><p>Yay for chapter 11, as always, thank you guys for reading and commenting. It makes it more worthwhile knowing that people actually enjoy the crap I write (at least somewhat). As for Aizawa Yamato, I'll be having him do some interesting things in the future.<p>

I shall leave it here for next time!

つづく！


	12. Chapter 12: Emergency!

Hey guys, back with another installment of this little series. Lied about the action and gore mentioned in the previous chapter :P. Mild-action in this chapter, more daily life. Can't get enough of that daily life :3

Exleader75: I feel the same way about their team, but I'd feel at least a little bad if I had left out Akane and Mikoto. Nevertheless, they will always be minor characters in my view...lol

InfiniteReader: Thank you sir, I hope that you will continue reading!

amado15: I appreciate your comment! I honestly was not sure how to develop Natsume as her own character so I just went with the flow. I'm glad that it turned out alright.

Enjoy the read and please R&R!

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 - Emergency!<strong>

"Kaede!"

"Hey you two, sorry to interrupt here but I'd like to talk," said Kaede in her usual tone.

"What do you want Kaede?" asked Natsume.

"Oh my, so hostile towards me. But I'm sure that will come to change in time," she said menacingly. "Now let's get to the point. Natsuru-san, I will give you one more chance to hand her over to us."

"And if I refuse?"

"Hmm, if you refuse? Let's just say that things won't get pretty and people will definitely get hurt. You wouldn't want that on your hands now would you?"

Natsuru scowled at her, "I think if I were to give in to your request, more people will get hurt and the Kampfer battles will still continue."

"You don't understand you fool!" snapped Kaede. "The reds and the blues battle each other in order to keep the peace in the universe. That's how it has been and that's how it shall remain."

"That isn't right, this is not our war to fight! Moreover, why are you so focused on Natsume in particular?"

"I don't have to answer to the likes of you, I just can't stand to see her waste her time with a pathetic piece of shit like you," said Kaede with a look of disgust.

"Go to hell!" yelled Natsume as she dashed at Kaede. Kicks and punches flew as the two danced in combat, each moving with impressive speed. Natsume was not holding back, she let out all of her anger onto her target, throwing everything she had at Kaede. She refrained from using her Zauber powers here, now that she was conscious of her power, she took care as to not cause unnecessary damage to the area. Kaede was keeping up with her, blocking all of her attacks but not attacking herself. It almost seemed as if Kaede was toying around with her blocking all of her attacks as if it child's play. Noticing the impasse, Natsume backed off from her engagement, leaving Kaede standing with a playful smile on her face.

"That was really fun Natsume-chan, you're even more beautiful when you fight," said Kaede "I'll give you one more chance, hand her over to us and things won't get ugly."

"No matter what you say, I'm never handing her over to you!" snapped Natsuru.

"Very well then," said Kaede in a serious tone. "I'll let you go for now, but the next time we meet may not be so pleasant." Having said that, she immediately drew her handgun and shot at them, causing the two to flinch and jump away to avoid the incoming fire. Before they noticed, Kaede had already left as mysteriously as she came. Natsuru felt a strange premonition from Kaede's warning, even though he felt it was said as bluff, he also felt some truth in those words.

* * *

><p>"We're back!" said the two as they took their shoes off.<p>

"Oh, welcome back, where did you guys go?" asked Natsuru's mother.

"Just around the city," replied Natsuru.

"In the city? That's a little dangerous, isn't it Natsuru?" asked Kotoko.

"It's okay okaa-san*, I was there to protect him this time!" said Natsume with confidence.

"Ahh! Natsume-chan you look so cute in your uniform!" said Kotoko as she hugged her. "Ehh~ I never noticed how tall you were either!"

"Thank you okaa-san, but I don't look that great," she said humbly.

"Come on mom, you're bothering her," said Natsuru.

"Ah that's right, I just finished making dinner, you must be hungry!"

"I'm being ignored…"

Everyone gathered around the table with Natsuru and Natsume sitting on one side of the table while his parents sat on the other. In front of them was a beautiful presentation of assorted foods varying from poultry, beef, pork, fish, sushi, and vegetables. Kotoko was serving everyone their bowls of rice as she scooped a spoonful and dropped it in one at a time.

"Thank you for the food!" everyone said.

"How was school you two?" asked Natsuru's father.

"The usual…"said Natsuru as he continued to eat without looking at his father. "Are you going to staying for long?"

"What's with that?" replied Serizawa. "I can't stay in my own house?"

"No…never mind, sorry."

Natsume looked to Natsuru, who was still eating his food but did not look up at all. She could feel the cold atmosphere and attitude he displayed towards his father. She decided to try to lighten up the mood a bit. "Otoo-san, were you away on business trip?" she asked.

"Yes I was, my line of work has me running around everywhere all the time," he said with a sigh.

"I see, that must be very difficult for you."

Natsume continued to converse with the two about anything she could think of. All the while Natsuru kept quiet, barely contributing the conversations.

"Thank you for the food!" said Natsume. "It was all very delicious."

"Of course honey! I don't mind at all, since I love cooking," said Kotoko. "Oh that's right! Come with me Natsume, I bought you some clothes while I was out! Let's try them on!"

"Ah, thank you," said Natsume as she was dragged away by the excited mother.

The two remaining men sat at the dinner table, neither of them made eye contact or said anything. "Something on your mind?" asked Serizawa.

"Would you like to know?" asked Natsuru. Serizawa nodded his head.

"Why are you back? You've never bothered visiting me throughout my middle school years, so why are you here now?"

"Natsuru, I know that my decision wasn't fair, but it had to be done in order to protect you."

"It was a syndicate related problem…wasn't it?"

"Yes, in order to keep you from being targeted, your mother and I had to be constantly on the move. Everything we've done was for you."

Natsuru did not reply. He sat in silence as he waited for his father to say something. "So…what will you do now?" he asked.

"Now? It may seem sudden, but I'll be moving headquarters back to this area. That way, your mother and I won't have to move and we can keep the opposition in check. I don't think they'd come storming into the heart of enemy territory."

Serizawa stood up and walked over to Natsume. He patted his shoulder and smiled. "I want us to be a family again," said Serizawa.

"Yeah…me too."

"Ta-da! Doesn't she look amazing?!" said Kotoko with pride. Next to her stood Natsume who was a little embarrassed to be flaunting her new casual wear.

"Oh! Such is expected of my wife, her taste in fashion is impeccable!" said Serizawa. Natsuru eyed her new outfit; a pair of denim shorts along with a white tank top and a grey cardigan. The Bracelet of Oath complimented her new attire quite nicely as well.

"By the way Natsume-chan, I already packed all your clothes for your trip tomorrow!" said Kotoko with a wink.

"Thank you so much okaa-san, you didn't have to do that," said Natsume as she laughed.

"Nonsense! It was my pleasure!"

"How come you didn't pack for me?" said Natsuru in jest.

"My my, looks like someone's a little jealous," said Kotoko.

"Ugh, guess I'll go pack…"

* * *

><p>The day of the long awaited class trip was finally here. Students from both the girls' and boys' side gathered out in front of the school as they were loaded onto the busses. Although almost everything at the school is segregated by gender, today's trip was an exception, as students from both sides had the option to sit with either gender. Although there is not much interaction between genders during school, the two sides were not unfamiliar with one another, as the guys carried casual conversations with the girls. Already, groups were slowly being formed amongst the group of students. Natsuru and Natsume stood idly side-by-side, looking through the crowd. They could tell that everyone was itching to ask Natsume to be in their group, which was unfortunate for Natsuru.<p>

"Ah, Natsume, there you are," said Shizuku as she walked up to them. "You're in my group, let's go." The two walked away with Shizuku leading Natsume by the hand through the crowd, Natsume turned to smile and wave to Natsuru.

"It's okay my friend, you can be in our group," said Higahisda.

"Shut up," groaned Natsuru.

The students were now loaded onto the busses and the trip was underway. Conversation filled the busses as everyone's' excitement shown. Natsuru went with Higashida's group, which consisted of two other guys and two girls. They were all conversing with one another about the trip and their expectations, save for Natsuru who was keeping to himself.

"Hey Senou, don't be so sad just 'cause you didn't get to be with your girl," teased Higashida.

"That's not it, I'm just thinking," he replied.

"Ehh? So you're the one going with Natsuru-san?" asked one of the girls.

"Uhh, yeah," he said timidly. "You can call her Natsume, to avoid confusion."

"How long have you guys been going out?" asked the other girl.

"Hmm…around six months now I guess."

"Hey hey, Senou, how far have you gotten with her?" asked one of the guys.

"Ew! Creep, why would you ask that?!"

"It's guy talk! And besides, I know you guys want to know too." The girls didn't disagree to that, but they were definitely curious. They then looked to Natsuru so see what he would say.

Natsuru's face lit up and narrowed his eyes at them. He hesitated for a moment before presenting them with two fingers. "Second…"

"That's it?! What a waste!"

"Geez Senou-kun, you're pretty slow," laughed the girls.

"Leave me alone," said Natsuru while folding his arms.

* * *

><p>"Achoo!" Natsume covered her nose with a handkerchief and sniffled.<p>

"Someone must be talking about you," said Shizuku. She was sitting beside her on the bus. In their group were Natsume, Shizuku, Akane, and Mikoto. The two latter were sitting a row in front of them.

"By the way…" said Natsume as she put her handkerchief away. "Is this okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…is it okay for me to hang out with you guys?"

"I don't mind at all." Shizuku smiled and pet her head, "You're a good girl."

"Geez, why does everyone like to pet my head?" groaned Natsume.

"Because it's fun!" said Akane as she joined in. "Come on Mikoto!"

Mikoto pop up from the seat in front of them, "I won't lose to you!" she shouted. "Take this cow-tits!"

"Ah! Where the hell are you touching! Stop it!" Natsume couldn't help but laugh as Akane started to tickle her sides. She felt relieved that she was getting along so well with the others even after what had happened. Now she was starting to develop a sense of belonging, thinking to herself that maybe she would be able to live her own life here. Being surrounded by friends gave her a warm comforting feeling.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" shouted a teacher. They had finally arrived at their destination and everyone had just finished unloading themselves and their luggage off the busses. "We'll be splitting up the lodging for the girls and boys, so all the girls move to one side and all the boys move to the other!"

Natsume slung her bag over her shoulder and followed the teacher's directions. She looked around the mountains that surrounded them which creating a deep green valley that snaked through the mountains. Everything was of a lush green color; this area has been preserved for many years from construction and development projects. The road that led they took hugged the mountains, winding up all the way to the lodge. The entrance to the lodge was grand as if it were a five star hotel. Its perimeter stretched out through the mountain and even to the side of the mountain. It was supported by large steel pillars that were now hidden by the foliage. It was an impressive sight, the beautiful nature of the area along with an outstanding display of design and architecture of the lodge gave off a warm aura. She turned around to the view that almost escaped her. It was an overlook of the entire valley, with the sun's setting rays glazing the expanse of trees with a honey gold film. She continued to stare, the view too detailed to be taken in by eyes alone.

"What's wrong, Natsume?" asked Shizuku.

"Nothing. Sorry, let's go!"

After having been assigned their rooms, the students were to meet in the dining room of the inn. It goes without saying that this dining room was fit to serve a large number of guests. Buffet tables were lined up with a plethora of different foods. The girls were sitting with the guys and vice-versa, enjoying their reprieve from the usual. The gang was sitting at a long table with the four girls on one side. A rather interesting group had joined them as well. There was Natsuru along with Higashida, but unexpectedly, Yamato was also joining them with the two guys from the bus that sat with Natsuru. He ended up sitting next to Natsuru who was across from Natsume. Shizuku sat across Higashida leaving Akane and Mikoto with the two other guys. There was some tension in the air that went by unnoticed save for Shizuku, Yamato, and Natsuru. Shizuku could tell that there was something going on, for now she would observe the situation.

"Isn't this place amazing? Everything is so nice!" asked Yamato.

"It is quite the inn, I never would have guessed it would have been this nice," said Natsume.

"Yeah, it's a shame though that the rooms aren't coed."

"That might have been too much," she chuckled.

"I was just joking," he said laughing.

'What a creep,' relayed Natsuru. The two were now able to communicate via thought processes, but only within a short distance of each other.

Natsume shot a stern look at him, 'Be nice.' He rolled his eyes.

"That's right, after this, we get to have a little recreational time. Would you guys like to join us?" asked Yamato.

"That's fine with me," said Shizuku. Akane and Mikoto, who were busy stuffing their faces with food, looked over and shrugged.

'Say no,' he relayed not looking up from his plate.

"Sure," she replied with a smile.

He died a little inside.

* * *

><p>Their recreational time had ended for the day and the students had returned to their respective sides. Natsuru sat sipping a soda with Higashida in the lounging room. It was more like an atrium than a room where most of the guys were hanging around.<p>

"Alright guys, it's almost that time."

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Don't worry, I've got everything covered."

Natsuru and Higashida looked towards the voices to find a large group of guys convening for some meeting. Curious, they too moved and sat at the outer ring of the circle.

"Okay, in about a half an hour, the girls should be going to take their baths. And I found the perfect spot for us to _investigate_."

'This doesn't sound good,' thought Natsuru. He would have objected to this saying it was a bad idea, but he was in no position to be saying such things. He shrugged it off, the chances of them seeing her are highly unlikely anyways, and he'd definitely do something if it came down to that.

"Are you in with this?" asked Natsuru to Higashida.

"Of course I am! I am the president of the Hottie Research Club after all," he replied.

The baths were not what Natsuru had imagined. It was like an ordinary open air bath, except this one was colossal compared to traditional Japanese onsens. It was already filling up with people and even then, it seemed that there was more than enough room to spare.

"Hey Senou-kun!" said a voice.

"Huh? Oh hey Ken, what's up?" Ken was another one of Natsuru's friends, childhood friend actually. They usually hang out afterschool but ever since the Akane incident, he hasn't had much time to spare.

"Isn't your girl on the other side?" he asked.

"Geez, everyone knows about that huh?"

"Of course!" chuckled Ken. "But anyways, how have you been? Haven't talked in a while."

"I've been pretty good, things are a bit hectic but I'll manage. Sorry about not keeping in touch, some crazy things have been happening," said Natsuru.

"Is it your organization?" whispered Ken.

"Well…you could say that. What about you? What have you been up to?"

"Not much really, I got a new girlfriend though!"

"Oh really? Who is it?"

"Hiroshi, Hitomi! She's in the same class as me," said Ken.

"Good for you man! I'm glad you found someone."

"Likewise!"

There was now a noticeable group of guys huddled around the wall at the far end of bath next to the wall that separated the baths. It seems as if everyone was waiting in line to take a look.

"Hmm…You wanna go check it out?" asked Ken.

"What? No no no we shouldn-"

"Come on!" interrupted Ken. "Think of it as closure that no one is looking at her."

"…Guess that's a good way to put it. Alright fine." They made their way over to the group of boys that crowded around the wall. The hole was of a good size, big enough for a couple people to look through but at the same time not so noticeable. "Hey guys, who are we looking at?" asked Ken.

"Umm…I'm not sure right now, but her chest is pretty nice!" said one of the guys looking.

"Oh! That's Saki, I forgot her last name though."

"Not bad, not bad,"

Natsuru swallowed his anxiety and sighed in relief.

"Uooh! Here comes the President and her friends!"

President and her friends? Natsuru charged through the huddle and forced himself to the front. He looked through the hole to see a silhouette of Shizuku's naked body along with the others. He was then pulled back by the guys he had pushed and thrown to the back.

"Hey, what happened?!" asked Ken.

"_She_ is right there!" panicked Natsuru.

"Oh crap," said Ken. He looked over to the group again, "Shall we take them out by force?" he asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"No we can't, that'd be too much of a ruckus."

"What do you want to do partner?"

Natsuru thought for a minute. They were too far apart for her to have heard the screams in his head. "Alright, I think I have an idea."

"Wow! I've never been to a bath this big!" said Natsume.

"Me neither, it's so spacious!" added Akane. The four of them waddled in their towels around the large bath for a little while before settling down next to a large rock near the wall. The rock was a couple meters high, sitting a few meters away from the wall. It was like a little mini island Natsume sat next to the large rock while fixing her towel. A small splash was heard from the other side of the rock. Curious, she went around to take a look where she was abruptly pulled by the arm. Before she could even yelp in surprise, she found that her mouth had already been covered.

'Quiet, it's me.'

'What the hell are you doing here?!'

'I'm sorry! It was an emergency!'

'Emergency?! Couldn't you have just waited?!'

'Not that kind of emergency!' Natsuru looked around to see if there was anyone nearby, save for the other three that were oblivious to his presence. 'Alright, you see that wall over there?' He guided her around the rock and pointed towards said wall. 'There's a hole over there where the guys are peeking through, they almost saw you!'

'What?!'

'Yeah, so just move away from here!'

'Alright but…what about you?'

'I'll be fine, I just need you to make some more steam for me.'

She nodded and dipped her hands in the water while conjuring her flames. The intense heat was already making the water evaporate, resulting in a thick plume of steam. Natsuru was now able to move freely through the steam and not be seen by the girls or the guys. He moved over the side of the wall where he picked up a loose boulder about half his size and brought it over to the hole. At this point, the steam was so thick that Natsuru could barely tell where he was. He carefully placed the boulder in front of the hole, blocking it so that no one would be able to peep anymore. He stepped back to look at his handiwork and swam back to the boulder where Natsume was.

'All good'

'Phew, alright then.'

"Natsume? Where did you go? What's up with all this steam?" asked Shizuku whose voice was getting closer.

They panicked, if Natsuru tried to go back now, he'd surely be seen even with all of the steam. Without thinking, Natsume submerged Natsuru up to his nose and pushed him into a crevice of the rock. She then threw herself over him, making sure that his head could not be seen.

'Natsume, what are you-'

'Shh! Don't make a sound.'

"There you were, you just disappeared on your own," said Shizuku.

"Ah sorry about that," Natsume chuckled nervously.

Natsuru was stuck between a rock and a soft place. His head was being uncomfortably pushed into the rock by a rather comfortable posterior. The girls continued on with their conversations. What felt like hours for Natsuru was actually minutes passing by. The bath was starting to get to him; having had his entire body submerged for an extended amount of time was making his head rush. The girl who was using him as a chair was of no help either, it just made his blood rush more.

'I'm going to die…'

* * *

><p>"Hey man, you okay?" asked Higashida. They were back in their rooms; Natsuru was laying down on his futon recovering from the torture he had been put through. Ken couldn't help but laugh his ass off at his friend.<p>

"Ugh…leave me alone," groaned Natsuru. "Godammit!"

Ken left the room for a moment before coming back with a roll of toilet paper, tossing it onto Natsuru's lap. "Get it off your mind," he said bursting into laughter.

"Screw you!" shouted Natsuru as he threw the toilet paper back at Ken.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:* **Okaa-san is used here to express formality and respect. Natsume is not necessarily referring to Kotoko as her actual mother.


	13. Chapter 13: Conviction

****Yo, we're getting close to the end of this series. And it only took one long year to do it!

Enjoy the new chapter, I'm sure that most of you shall like it...or at least I hope...

Please R&R!

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><p><strong>Chapter 13 - Conviction<strong>

Natsuru sat up in his futon and yawned loudly while covering his mouth. It was their last day of their little trip and it had already gone by so fast. He looked around to see the room to find Ken and Higashida still sleeping. Stretching from his slumber, he walked over to the panoramic window at the end of the room and relished the beautiful view that was in front of him. He took out his phone to check the time, sitting down at the couch. There was still plenty of time to spare, but he decided to get dressed anyway. He looked at himself in the mirror, fixing his clothes and hair. He was wearing a grey hoodie along with a pair of denim jeans, it was a cold morning. Satisfied, he left the room, grabbing a backpack on his way out, and made his way towards the main lounge where both dorms meet up. It was empty, save for a couple of workers and teachers who were enjoying a cup of coffee. Natsuru walked out into the patio of the lounge with a 'good morning' as he passed by the adults. He walked out to the edge of the patio, which overlooked the valley and mountains of the area. He took a deep breath and exhaled into his hands, the heat of his breath mixed with the cold morning air created a small plume of steam that brushed his hands.

Suddenly his vision was obscured by what felt like a pair of cold hands. "Morning!" said an enthusiastic voice. He turned around to face her, examining her clothes. She was wearing similar attire; a blue hoodie but with jogging shorts instead of jeans and had her own bag as well. Natsuru smiled and said brightly with a smile, "Good morning."

The two were now walking on a forest trail that ran through the sides of the mountains. There were some things that you could experience only in remote areas such as these, and that would be the peace and serenity this place brings. Away from the bustling noises of civilization, the lack of sound was almost deafening. They continued on the trail for several more minutes before coming to the peak of the hike. The area was a small clearing with a nice view of the scenic mountains along with rustic fences at the edges. They found a spot underneath a tree whose leaves marked the beginning of wintertime. Natsuru opened his pack, taking out a large blanket and set it down on the ground. Natsume took out several boxes wrapped in linen and set them down on the laid blanket, unraveling them one by one.

After several moments, they had a quaint picnic setting laid before them. The two sat for a while, enjoying each other's company, with the fresh air of the mountain side and the beautiful scenery. They looked at each other, neither of them needing to say a word to express their happiness. No, words would only spoil the moment, so they kept quiet, and enjoyed this surreal moment.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Hey you two."

The two shot up and scrambled to turn around in the direction of the voice. "Long time no see!" said Shousuke.

"Shousuke! You're alive, and Nanami!" said Natsuru in relief.

"I wouldn't die that easily," he boasted. "But that was quite something." Nanami nudged him as if to tell him to get on with something. "Right," he cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt so abruptly, but I have some news for you guys. The Whites have launched multiple attacks on us, resulting in casualties," he said grimly.

"Casualties? From which side?" asked Natsuru.

"Both sides. Even though we're winning, we've lost a good amount as well," said Shousuke as he lit a cigarette. He puffed the smoke into the air, "Something big is going to happen, and I have a feeling it will be related to you guys in some way."

"So what do you want us to do?" asked Natsume.

"There's not much you can really do. All I can tell is to be careful with that Kaede girl, we don't know what she'll be planning next."

"Alright, let us know if you need any help though," said Natsuru.

Shousuke nodded, "Very good, then we shall take our leave. Take care of yourselves." The pair waved a quick goodbye before disappearing into the thicket of the woods.

"There's always something, isn't there?" said Natsuru with a sigh.

"Nevermind that! Come on, let's eat!"

* * *

><p>Natsuru and Natsume arrived back at the inn, coming in from the main lounge. To their surprise, the lounge was empty. Judging by the time, everyone should have been awake already. The café's window was open for business, but there were no workers there either. Confused, they continued to walk through the buildings of the inn, checking for anyone who might be around. They searched and searched to no avail, something was definitely going on. Natsuru pulled out his phone and tried to dial Shizuku's number, he was sent to voicemail. He tried Akane's and Mikoto's numbers as well but received the same result.<p>

"Stick close to me," said Natsuru. Natsume nodded in acknowledgment.

He quickly dialed Shousuke's number and was relieved that he answered. "Shousuke! Something's happening at the inn, everyone is gone!" said Natsuru.

"What? Alright, just stay put, we're on our way." said Shousuke.

Natsuru put his phone away then broke into a sprint towards the front of the inn with Natsume following close behind him. They burst through the large entrance to the drop off area where they had first arrived. As they walked out into the courtyard, they noticed three bodies that were lying on the ground. As they got closer, they realized that it was Shizuku, Akane, and Mikoto.

"Shizuku! Shizuku wake up!" pleaded Natsume as she held her head. Natsume moved her head closer to Shizuku's mouth to check for a breath. She was relieved to have found her rhythmic but slow breaths.

"Yo!" said a voice. The two looked up to see Kaede standing in front of them along with her four lackeys, each wearing a crude smile. "Since I don't feel like force would work out too well with you, how about we make a deal?" said Kaede.

"We're not making **any** deals with you," said Natsuru.

"Oh, but I believe it would be in your best interest to do so. You see, I've taken everyone here as my hostage, I'm sure you've noticed their absence."

Natsuru scoffed, "You're bluffing."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But would you really take that chance? Now then, give Natsuru-chan to me and I'll release everyone unharmed."

"You bitch, do you think I'll just take this sitting down?!"

"I think it's a good of a deal as any. You get your normal life back, no one gets killed, and everyone's happy."

"Everyone's happy huh? What about her? Do you think she'll be happy!?" he shouted as he pointed to Natsume.

Kaede couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Of course she'll be happy, and after all, if she stays here any longer, she will definitely die."

"…What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh my, you didn't know? There's a reason why your Kampfer forms are intertwined. Even if they draw their energy from the host's life force, they can only do so for so long until they break down."

"I don't believe you, there's no way I'd trust those words." He turned to Natsume, "That's not true…right?" he asked, his voice pleading for an answer.

She looked back at him with solemn eyes then looked to the ground. "It is true. As the days passed, I started to regain little bits of memory prior to being with you. It's as she says, all of our bodies are tied to one source. And if we are away for too long, our bodies will eventually break down."

"Then where is the source?!" he demanded.

"It's with us," said Kaede. "That's why I've been trying to take her. Every moment that passes by when she is with you is literally killing her, and I won't bear to see my darling suffer a death in a place like this."

"She doesn't belong to you, and she isn't going anywhere!" snapped Natsuru.

"Are you sure? You'd risk the lives of your classmates and even her so you can spend just a _little_ more time with her?" scoffed Kaede.

Natsuru was cornered with no options. Either way, the choices he was presented with were not viable to him.

"It's okay, Natsuru," said Natsume as she gently grabbed his arm. She looked at him with eyes of compassion with a warm smile. "I'll go…"

"…What do you mean?" said Natsuru, his voice and demeanor was at a loss.

"I won't have anyone dying for me!" she said.

"No! I won't let you! Don't go deciding things all by yourself!" said Natsuru.

"Hang on folks! Don't count us out of the fight just yet," said Shousuke. Streams of lightning flew towards the five, scattering them as they jumped away. "Sorry we're late!"

"Don't interfere you assholes, if you haven't realized, I've got hostages," said Kaede with an attitude.

"Hostages huh? Well I think you'll be sad to hear that they are no longer your hostages," said Shousuke with a smile.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Kaede.

"We've defeated your minions Kaede, you have nowhere else to run," said Shousuke. All of a sudden, pairs of Black Kampfers appeared onto the courtyard, each wielding a variety of weapons and magic. Kaede's four bodyguards were quickly incapacited by gunshots and magic alike, leaving her scrambling away as she jumped off the mountainside.

"Tch, she's a crazy one," said Shousuke as he sheathed his sword. He walked over to the two young Kampfers, "You guys alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks for the save," said Natsuru. "Did you plan this?"

Shousuke smiled, "Come on, we have to get moving."

* * *

><p>Natsuru's group was brought to a large abandoned factory. Shizuku and the others had already awoken and were standing among the crowd of Black Kampfers that had gathered. There were a few other Red and Blue Kampfers around, but there were more Black Kampfers. Everyone was relatively young, ranging from high school to college. Of course, many of the Kampfers were wearing their school uniforms.<p>

"Attention everyone!" shouted Nanami. She stood on a stack of shipping containers that overlooked the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming today," said Shousuke as he jumped to Nanami's level from a crate above. "As you all know, our efforts have pushed back the Whites into a corner. Sure they may have more in numbers, but we are stronger," said Shousuke.

Loud cheering and whistling ensued from Shousuke's announcement to which Nanami gestured for silence.

"But of course…there were many casualties along the way," he said solemnly. "But we're almost there, we have the moderator cornered and have located her whereabouts."

"What do we do after we've taken care of her?" asked a Kampfer.

"Well, we take the fight to the moderators themselves!" said Shousuke confidently. "Our Messengers told us of the civil war between the moderators, ones who opposed the Proxy War and ones who were in favor of it. We must see to it that this war is ended. We don't have much time on our hands, since our Kampfer forms will eventually break down."

"Fight the moderators? Can we really win against them?"

"Of course we can, that is what we were tasked to do. It won't be easy, we don't know what the other moderators are like, but this is our final step in ensuring that no one else is dragged into a war that is not ours," said Shousuke. "In the coming week, we will invade the rogue moderator's hideout and force any and all information out of her. Be ready my friends."

With that, the meeting had ended and everyone slowly began to clear out of the building. Shousuke and Nanami went down to greet Natsuru and co.

"I'm impressed Shousuke," said Natsuru. "I can't believe you were able to round everyone under on banner."

"Well it wasn't easy, we've lost some good people to get where we are," said Shousuke.

"Their sacrifices were not in vain," said Nanami.

"Excuse me, but will we be of any use?" asked Shizuku.

"Of course! We'll take all the help we can get!" said Shousuke.

"We'll certainly do our best," said Shizuku.

"Even though we've reduced their numbers, they are still just as dangerous. Just be warned though, there is no guarantee that everyone will be getting out alive…"

* * *

><p>Natsuru sat on the edge of his bed playing with his fingers. His thoughts were clouded about the battle that was to come. He had already stared death in face once, and he may have to do it again. Everything was happening so fast that everything felt surreal to him. He had to be ready, there can be no room for error when lives are on the line. Natsuru was not scared of losing his own life, he was scared of losing those close to him. If it were up to him, he wouldn't have them come with him, but there's no way they'd sit around. He held his head as it sunk, groaning from the anxiety that ran through his mind.<p>

There was a knock on his door, followed by the creaking sound of the hinges as it opened. It was Natsume, smiling at him as she shut the door behind her and walked over to where he sat. Taking her place next to him on the bed, she placed a hand on top of his. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," he said looking at her.

"I know what you're thinking…" she said.

"Do you?"

"Yes, and I think that-"

"Then you know that I can't lose you," he said. He held her slender arms tightly as he held back his tears. "…I just can't."

"Is that what you're worried about?" she chuckled. She hugged him, bringing his head down to her chin. "Do you remember when you held me like this? I was confused and scared of this unknown world, but you were there to comfort me, to accept me." She brought him out from her chin and looked him in the eye. "I'm not going anywhere," she said with the biggest smile she could muster.

She brought their lips closer, starting with a simple peck. Natsuru's idly hand moved to embrace her as she worked her magic on him. His worries slowly slipped away and his thoughts became nothing more than the focus of the present moment. Their kissing became more passionate as hands moved on their own. One by one the pieces of clothes littered the ground until both were left bare, admiring one another's touch. Natsuru's mind drifted away as he buried himself in her hair and neck, relishing in her scent and soft skin. Her breaths became heavy, exhaling sharp breaths with his every movement as she clung to him. The doubts and clouds in his mind had cleared, reaffirming his conviction; that he would protect her no matter what the cost.

"Please, stay by my side."

* * *

><p>Eh? Eh? Eh...<p>

Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter and if you'd like to see more _action_(both kinds). Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14: To War

I'm getting a little antsy about these chapters to come, I'm sure there will be mixed feelings. D'oh well, here's Chapter 14.

**Please R&R!**

godofmadness43 - I'm glad you liked it! Here's moar for ya

KingOgnick - EXCELLENT

Renn Himeya - I don't know if I can go for 40 chapters, cause that's a shitload. But I will certainly do my best.

InfiniteReader - 3

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 - To War<strong>

"Alright everyone, gather around and listen up!" said Shousuke. They were all once again gathered at the abandoned factory to hear Shousuke's briefing on the battle. There were more Kampfers than last time and everyone was dressed in their respective high school uniforms. "Thanks to our scouts, we were able to discover the whereabouts of the moderator's hideout. It is located on one of the Ryukyu Islands."

"What do we know about the enemy's fighting strength?" someone asked.

"Our last surveillance suggests that resistance will be high. Now, this hideout must be some bunker of some sort, or an underground base. Our first object is to clear the island and force our way into the hideout," said Shousuke. "After we break in, we must locate the moderator and eliminate her, along with everything else. But our main objective is to destroy the Beacon."

"The Beacon? What the hell is that?" asked a Kamfper.

"The Beacon is the device that is responsible for these bracelets. It is also the 'source' that our Kampfer personas are connected to. If we destroy this, our planet will no longer be subject the alien conscription of Kampfers," explained Shousuke.

"But if we destroy everything there, won't our Kampfer personas die? Since they are all connected to the Beacon?"

"Don't worry, my Messenger has informed me that there is a way to sever their ties to this source so they will not be dependent," explained Shousuke. "If all goes well, our people will no longer have to participate in this war. This may be the last battle for some of us, but don't be disheartened. We will remove this burden that has forced us to fight and secure our own freedom!"

Roars of cheering and applause followed Shousuke's briefing as energy filled the building. Natsuru held his partner's hand tightly, he had never noticed how small and soft they were. She too held on tightly and looked at him with eyes of trust and confidence, almost saying that everything will be okay. Natsuru looked around the people that surrounded him. Everyone had smiles on their faces, embracing each other and patting each other's backs. Shizuku and the others were doing so as well. There was no sense of fear in the room, only a sense of unwavering will.

"Okay, let's move out everyone!" announced Shousuke.

* * *

><p>The island was coming into view now, just a little beyond the horizon. Its white sandy beaches reflecting the sun's rays gave it the appearance of a huge plate in the middle of the ocean, topped with foliage in the center. There were multiple speed boats that zoomed towards the island, all side by side of each other. Pretty soon, they had already come upon the landing and everyone had started embarking the beach. No one spoke. Everyone was busy surveying the area for possible enemies, but there were none in sight. On Shousuke's order, everyone made a sprint towards the jungle past the beach.<p>

"Careful of ambushes or traps!" he yelled.

They continued on, everyone sprinting at ridiculous speeds, weaving through the thickets of the forest and jumping through the trees. Natsuru was surprised that he was able to keep up with everyone, he started getting nervous again. He was concerned of his fighting ability, but it was much too late to do anything about it now. There were many comrades around him, but he knew he couldn't leave everything to them. He looked to his partner who was to his right. Her face showed no signs of doubt or hesitation. Instead, it was stone cold and serious, something he had seen rarely from her. Natsuru snapped himself back to reality, he had to focus on the task at hand.

The forest started to dissipate before them, revealing a large clearing as they reached the center of the island. There was a large bowl that was dug into the ground, it was at least 20 meters deep. In the middle of the bowl, there was a small concrete entrance of some kind.

"What should we do?" asked Natsuru.

"Hmm, this could possibly be a trap, but we have no choice but to proceed," said Shousuke.

"Wait, you mean to intentionally walk into their trap?" asked Nanami.

"I know it doesn't sound smart, but as long as we don't lose focus, we should be fine. Besides, we have to get in there."

On his order, everyone jumped into the crater, sliding down from the curved sides and made their way to the small concrete building. There was a metallic door that was sealed shut that led inside. There were around 50 Black Kampfers in the group and around a dozen other Kampfers. They slowly made their way towards the small shack-like building, watching the perimeter of the crater.

"Shousuke, I've got a really bad feeling about this," said a Black Kampfer.

Without warning, the group was attacked by a hail of magic. Fireballs, shards of ice, lightning and the like flew at them. The group quickly took a defensive phalanx formation, easily blocking the incoming attacks. In a heartbeat, the cluster broke away to avoid the gunfire by the White Kampfers. It was indeed a trap, there were so many Whites climbing down the crater, all with their weapons drawn. Before Natsuru realized it, the place had turned into a full-fledged battlefield, with swords clanging, gunshots ringing through the air, and magic flying around. He had to remain calm, he spotted an enemy White and launched a fireball at her, burning her clothes and knocking her out.

"Natsume!" he yelled.

She was under attack by two sword-wielding Whites who were hacking away at her. Natsume kept up with their movements, dodging each strike as fluidly as a martial artist. She quickly dispatched the two with an explosive fireball aimed at the ground.

"I'm okay!" she said with a smile.

"You two!" said Shousuke. "Come with me!" They followed him through the battlefield towards the small concrete building. Shizuku, Akane, and Mikoto followed them along with two pairs of Black Kampfers. Shousuke took out his broadsword and destroyed the door with quick haste, gesturing the small group to move inside.

"What about everyone else?" asked Natsuru.

"They'll be fine, this is our main objective after all," said Shousuke.

There was only one thing in the cramped room, a circular platform that sat at the end of the room.

"What is this?" asked Akane as she walked up to it. She cautiously stepped one foot on it and disappeared immediately. Everyone backed away from the platform in surprise.

"Akane!" shouted Natsuru.

"Calm down Natsuru, this must be a transporter of some sort. I'll try it out," said Shousuke. He too stepped onto the platform with Nanami by her side, disappearing as soon as they touched the platform. The others looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They each went through the transporter in pairs, leaving Natsuru and Natsume as the last pair.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied.

They stepped onto the platform which brought them to a large open area. It seemed as if they were in an alien facility of some sort, with architecture similar to that of simple but elegant geometric shapes. There were pillars that ran the length of the hallway they were in, it was spacious, lit up by the recessed lighting on the floors. The two met up with the rest of the group, walking down the long chromatic hallway. Everyone was looking around cautiously, ready for any dangers to come.

"I've never seen anything like this place," said Nanami, brushing the walls as they walked past. "It's freezing down here too, or wherever we are."

"Look, I see an opening up ahead," pointed Natsuru.

They made a sprint towards said opening, but their advance was halted as a door was abruptly closed in front of them, cutting them off from their destination. A loud noise was heard as the hallway shook and rumbled to life. Then, the walls slowly began to budge, closing in on the group like a garbage compactor.

"Keep going!" shouted Natsuru. Everyone resumed their sprint towards the door as the walls got closer and closer. The door was now right in front of them and with Natsuru at the lead, he shouted, "Hit it with everything you've got!"

The door quivered under the combined powers that were unleashed upon it, giving way as it was blown apart. One by one, the group emerged out of the smoke, stumbling to get out of that hallway. They looked back to see that they had barely made it in time, with the walls fully closed in behind the door that was now nothing more than scrap metal. They were immediately met with opposition as White Kampfers opened fire with magic and bullets. The group quickly dispersed, greeting the Whites with some of their own firepower. The Whites' numbers were greater, but they still stood a chance.

Natsuru and Natsume were pushed back to back, holding off a torrent of attacks from the Whites. There were multiple enemies surrounding them and circling them as they pinned the two down. They continued to shoot their fireballs at them, but there were just too many to focus on at once. Frustrated, Natsume slammed her hands on the ground and unleashed her powers, creating a tornado of flames that enveloped the two. She made a grunt of effort and the flames dispersed outwards, eliminating all the Whites within its radius. Natsuru promptly collapsed to one knee with heavy breaths.

"Oi! Natsume, don't use too much energy," said Natsuru as he helped her up.

"Sorry," she replied as she caught her breath.

"You two okay?" asked Shousuke as he and the others backed up towards them, forming a small huddle. "We'll never get anywhere at this rate. You guys have to keep moving, we'll hold them off for as long as we can."

Natsuru nodded and broke into a sprint, letting go of Natsume to stand on her own as he turned. Shizuku, Mikoto, and Akane followed closely behind as they darted away from the carnage. There was not enough time for them to take a good look of the room they arrived in, but it was much larger than anticipated. They continued running until they reached an entry way which led them into a corridor. They ran through the twist and turns of the corridor without stopping.

"Is this even the right way?" asked Mikoto.

"I have no idea," said Natsuru.

A loud gunshot rang through the corridor, quickly followed by a scream. Natsuru turned around to see that Akane had been shot, blood oozing out of the bullet wound in her thigh. She fell to the ground and grabbed her pistol as she fell, swiftly dispatching the enemy that shot her down the corridor. Akane dropped her gun and gripped the wound, wincing as she held back the screams of pain.

"Hang on Akane, it's just a flesh wound," said Mikoto. She tore a piece of her uniform off and tied the wound as best as she could. The bullet had pierced through her thigh relatively clean.

"You guys…should get going, I'll be fine," said the red-haired Akane. "As if I'll do from something as pathetic as a leg wound."

"I'll stay here with her," said Mikoto. "We'll catch up!"

"Alright…" said Shizuku. "You guys better not die on me."

Natsuru smiled and nodded at the two as they smiled back and gave a thumbs up. After hesitating for a couple moments, the group of three was now on the move again. They continued their seemingly endless run through the corridors.

"I've been through many battles, but this has been the most dangerous one by far," commented Shizuku. She looked to the two of them at her side, "If I don't make it, make sure you end this. For me and for everyone."

"What are you saying?" asked Natsume. "Don't talk as if you're going to die!"

Shizuku chuckled, "You never know when your time will be up. My friend and I were inseparable, we thought that things would work out in the end. But it's never that simple."

"Don't worry Shizuku, we're seeing this thing through to the end," said Natsuru.

She smiled, "I sure hope so."

They finally came to a room filled with alien machinery and computers. The group cautiously scanned the room as they walked around. The room was brightly lit by lights illuminating from the computers and machines. There shone a bright light from the windows at the far end of the room. The three walked up to the window, struck in awe at what they were seeing. On the other side of the window was an area the size of the Coliseum. In the center of the ring, there was magnificent beam of blue light that shot up from the ground, with large metal beams circling the light.

"I think we found it," said Natsuru.

Suddenly, a loud banging sound was heard from the corner of the room. The three jumped in surprise as they looked in the direction of the sound. It seemed to have come from a chest-like containment field that sat near the wall. Its field glowed a warm blue, resonating with each thump. The three were now standing over it, looking at it suspiciously. There was no telling what could be inside, so the best idea would be to avoid doing anything with it. Is what Natsume did not do as she touched the containment field with her hand. It melted away at her touch as the blue glow dissipated into the air as fumes.

"Natsume!" yelled Natsuru.

"Sorry! I didn't think it would open if I touched it!"

"You shouldn't go touching random things in the first place!"

"Uhh, guys," said Shizuku.

The three were left blankly staring at what appeared to be a floating entity of some sort. It was in the shape of a sphere, glowing like the sun but with different shades of colors.

"Oh, thank you so much for releasing me from that horrible prison!" said the entity. Its colors changed as it spoke.

"Uhh sure, may I ask what or whom you are?" asked Natsuru.

"Very well, I am what you humans call a 'moderator'."

"A moderator?!"

"Do not be alarmed, I am not here to harm you. I am actually one of the ones responsible for the Black Kampfers."

"I'm not buying it, you could just be a trap set by Kaede. Pretending to be imprisoned so we'd let our guards down," said Natsuru.

"The one you call Kaede is the real enemy here! Please, now that the opportunity has arrived, we must not waste any time!" implored the entity.

"Opportunity? What are you talking about?"

"The opportunity to free your planet from our war of course!"

"Found you~"

The three turned towards the voice but it was too late. Shizuku was blown into the wall by magic that hit her from behind, incapacitating her. Kaede's orange hair fluttered as she dashed towards Natsuru, sword drawn and approaching fast. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. Their eyes met, faces inches away from each other. His eyes widening as the cold steel pierced his abdomen and came out the other side. Spurts of blood flew out his mouth and ran the length of his chin and down his throat. The last thing he felt was the sliding of the blade as she pulled the sword away before he collapsed to the floor.

"It's over for you," said Kaede with a smile as she licked her sword.

Natsume's eyes widened as she stood frozen in place as a small pool of blood licked her feet. She slowly gritted her teeth as everything went numb. Her mind went blank as she looked at Natsuru who was hunched over on the ground. Her hands shook, her legs quivered, her eyes full of rage and grief. Rage for the adversary that stood in front of her, and grief as she looked at the blood of her lover.

* * *

><p>Expect to see Chapter 15 in the next several days. Or maybe tomorrow if I'm up to it.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15: To Our End

Viola, we have reached the climax of our journey. Enjoy the read.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 - To Our End<strong>

It was cold, colder than anything he had ever felt before. His body went numb as blood poured out from his wound and onto the floor. There was nothing but darkness that surrounded him, tugging at his life. There was nothing he could do but hang on to the inch of life he had left. Suddenly, a faint light was seen in the abyss of darkness. Natsuru frantically reached out for it as it got closer and closer. As the light got closer, he felt his body begin to warm up as if his life was being pumped back into him. The light was in front of him now, floating there with its plethora of changing colors.

"You're that thing from before…" said Natsuru.

"Yes, I am the one you helped free from that prison," said the light.

"I see. By the way, where am I?" said Natsuru. He was floating in a vast expanse, he looked around to see if he was still in the room, but found that he was somewhere not of this world.

"You are on the threshold of life and death. Luckily, I was able to keep you alive through your Bracelet of Oath, for now," answered the light.

"What of Natsume and Shizuku?!" he shouted.

"As of right now, your friend is incapacitated while your partner is engaged in combat with the one you call Kaede."

"Is she alright?!"

"She is doing fine for now. But she does not have much time left as her powers are dwindling."

"Shit! You have to revive me so I can help her!" pleaded Natsuru.

"Now is not the time, in order to save your planet and your partner, you must listen to me."

"So you're not going to help me?!"

"That is not what I said. But your cooperation is imperative to save those you hold dear."

* * *

><p>Natsume shouted and screamed, releasing her bouts of rage at Kaede as she attacked her without regard of her energy. Kaede stumbled around, buckling under the pressure of Natsume's attack, not even Kaede could withstand unchecked rage. She continued to dodge Natsume's attacks as best as she could until she was finally cornered with her back against the window that overlooked the Beacon. With heavy breaths, Natsume conjured all of her energy to one last fireball as she extended both of her hands. To her surprise, she found herself on the floor as excruciating pain ran through her body. The pain overtook her as she screamed, barely being able to move from her anger.<p>

"That's no good," said Kaede. She stood in front of Natsume, her clothes were tattered and she had many abrasions and burns on her skin. "You shouldn't over exert yourself you know," she said as she brushed Natsume's hair.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, slapping the hand out of her face.

"Now now," said Kaede as she held Natsume in the air by her uniform shirt. "I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you," she said as she licked her lips.

Natsume struggled to break free of Kaede's hold, but was unable to do much due to the pain that still ran through her body.

"Hey."

The sound of fleshed being pierced was all that was heard as Shizuku impaled Kaede with both of her daggers from behind. Kaede dropped Natsume to the floor as she looked at her own blood in disbelief. She slowly turned around to meet Shizuku who was had stains of blood on her uniform. Shizuku smiled and with both of her daggers, she stabbed Kaede once again straight through the chest.

"This is for my friend," said Shizuku.

Kaede's body fell to the floor, a pool of blood mixing in with her once beautiful orange hair.

"Hey, come on get up," said Shizuku as she helped Natsume off the floor. The two walked over to Natsuru, who was left lying on the ground. Shizuku set Natsume down next to her, her eyes were blank and void of emotion as she stared at his body. "Natsuru! Natsuru! You can't die here, wake up you bastard!" said Shizuku as she tied his wound.

Natsuru shouted as his body jerked up as if he had awoken from a terrible nightmare. His breath was heavy and his heart was beating at an abnormal rate, he was alive.

"Natsuru!" shouted Natsume as she buried herself in his arms. He winced a little from his wound but still hugged her tightly. Natsuru smiled at Shizuku, who smiled back with tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"Excuse me, but we must be moving, there are more enemies approaching," said the entity.

Footsteps were heard behind them as multiple Whites ran down the corridor that led to the room. At their current state, they were in no fighting condition, with Natsuru wounded and Natsume out of energy, their situation was dire.

"I guess there's no choice," said Shizuku as she stood up. She started walking calmly towards the corridor, blades at the ready.

"Shizuku! What are you doing?!" shouted Natsuru.

"Buying you guys time," she said with a smile.

"Don't do it! You won't make it out alive!" said Natsume.

Shizuku chuckled, "Thanks for your concern, but I think I'll be fine."

"We must hurry now! Lest the enemies kill you two as well!" said the entity.

Natsume helped Natsuru as they followed the entity to a doorway that led them to the inner coliseum. The two looked behind to see Shizuku waving with a smile and daggers in hand, their stomachs dropped as the door sealed shut behind them. The entity led them to a floating platform where it seemed to be able to control its movements. It took them down to the floor of the enormous room. They stood in awe of the magnificent blue light that was in the center of the room, its light was almost blinding when looking at it directly. The two slowly walked towards the light, trudging as Natsume assisted Natsuru.

"What now?" asked Natsume.

They stood together in silence for a moment before Natsuru spoke. "Natsume," he said. "I don't think I would've made it this far without you. Thanks to you, I've made some amazing memories. I felt like my entire life was meaningless and linear, until I met you," he said looking her in the eye.

"…Why are you saying this now?" she asked.

Natsuru chuckled, "Just know that I'll always love you, no matter what happens." He moved in to kiss her, pressing himself against her welcoming lips. He slowly pulled back to look at her, her face was confused as she looked at him with eyes of suspicion.

"What are you-"She was interrupted by Natsuru as he plunged his fist into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She fell into his arms and he brought her down slowly and carefully. He brought her head down onto the floor as along with her body.

"I'm sorry," said Natsuru.

"Natsuru…" she said weakly as she tried to move her body. Her remaining energy had left her, leaving her with no way to get up.

"There's a way to save you and all of the other Kampfers. Remember what Shousuke said before we left? That there was a way to severe the connection between the Beacon and everyone else without killing them? There is only one way to do it," explained Natsuru.

Natsuru looked from her to the Beacon, his expression was calm as well as his demeanor. Natsume looked at him, she was still confused as to what he had meant. But then she realized his intentions and shouted, "Wait, don't tell me that the only way is to…"

"You are correct," said the entity. "In order to completely neutralize the Beacon, we must introduce a catalyst to counter-act its structure. In other words, a Black Kampfer. After all, that was what you were originally created to do."

"No way…" said Natsume in despair. "Wait, if it's a Black Kampfer you need, I'll be the one!" she said.

Natsuru chuckled, "There's no way I'd let you do that he said." He knelt down beside her, brushing her hair as he held her hand.

Natsume scrambled to grab a hold of him, but her body was so weak that the best she could do was grab onto his clothes.

"No…no, please don't do this to me," she said. Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice began to quiver. "It's not fair! You can't leave me alone!" she said as she clutched his hand, tears running down her face.

Natsuru looked at her with a kind smile, "You have your own life to live now with so many opportunities ahead of you. Everyone deserves their own happiness."

"No! Nothing else will matter if you're gone! And what about your happiness?!" she said.

"This is my happiness," he said calmly. "Saving those I hold dear."

"…No…"

"Please look after my parents for me," he said as he slowly broke away from her grasp.

"I'm begging you, please don't!" she said as she stumbled to get up.

"There is no greater deed for me than to take your place. You gave me a reason for living, and I owe you my life."

"You don't owe me anything! I'm the one who is in debt to you!"

Her body was not cooperating, her feet stumbled underneath her as she tried to move. They gave way and she fell towards the ground, but was caught by Natsuru. He embraced her tightly as his own tears ran down his face. They looked at each other, both at a loss of words and overflowing with tears. He held her face with his hands, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

"There is no more time, we must go now," said the entity.

"I love you," he said. He left her embrace, standing up and walking away from her.

"No! Natsuru please!" Her cries hurt Natsuru more than anything he had ever felt. But this was something he had to do, not only for her sake, but for the sake of everyone else who depended on him. Natsume mustered everything she had, but managed only enough to stand up. It took so much effort just to remain standing, she could not move any further. All she could do was watch as the blue light enveloped Natsuru. His being slowly disintegrated as he continued to walk into the light. Natsume cried and shouted with all her might for him to come back, for him to stay by her side, for him to always be there for her.

The last thing she saw was his never-changing smile, the exact same one that had captivated her heart from the very beginning. The first person to have acknowledged her existence, the first person that she had befriended, the first and only person she had ever loved, was gone.

* * *

><p>Natsume sat at the edge of Natsuru's bed with puffy eyes and nose as red as a strawberry. She wiped away the remaining tears from her eyes and placed herself back to reality. No matter how many days had passed, it was still a shock to her, that he was gone for good. Something as simple as saying 'good morning' to him in the morning, or the daily walks to school became things so precious that she would give anything just to have those days return once more. She stood up and walked over to his desk, turning on the lamp and sitting down. There sat the two Entrails Animals, now nothing more than mere plush dolls. She looked down at her black bracelet, playing with it for a moment before slipping it off and setting it next to the dolls. As she set it down, she looked at the picture frame that stood at the corner of his desk. It was a picture of Natsuru and Natsume on their first date at the park. In the picture, the two are smiling with their cheeks pressed up against each other. She didn't recall ever taking any pictures that day, but that made no difference to her.<p>

Melancholic feelings arose as she stared at the picture. To her surprise, she found a warm sense of happiness from the picture instead of sadness. She chuckled, touching Natsuru's smiling face on the picture. She brought it to her chest, closed her eyes and hugged the precious photograph. She looked at it once more before setting it back down on the table. Natsuru wanted to leave her an opportunity, an opportunity to live a life she was denied of. She realized that now, sacrificing himself so that she may achieve happiness. That was his goal of attaining his own happiness.

"I'll make you proud," she said. She looked down and placed a hand over her stomach. "I wonder how this little one will turn out to be," she said with a giggle. "Mom and Dad are really worried, but I guess now would be a good time to tell them the truth, right?" She took a deep breath as she opened the door of his room and walked into the hallway, turning off the lights and taking one good look around before shutting the door. She walked down the stairs and into the living room where Natsuru's parents were. His dad was on the sofa watching t.v. beside his mom. They greeted her and invited her to join them as they waited for Natsuru to return home. She smiled at them but stood standing, keeping her composure as she began to tell her tale.

Life is a journey full of cruel and unrelenting things that can get a little overwhelming at times. But even with the sadness and sorrows life brings, there is happiness and little moments that make everything worthwhile. There are many things that split us apart, but the most wonderful things are the ones that bring us together.

* * *

><p>There you have it, this fan ficiton has run its course and must come to a close. Split is now completed, and it only took about a year!<br>I'd like to thank all the readers, your interest and comments are what compel me to keep writing.

For those wondering, I will definitely be making a sequel to this story. So look forward to that in the coming days, or weeks.  
>I'll probably ditch the action stuff and stick to slice of life, daily life, romance, and drama genres.<p>

Questions about the last part? It's probably what you're thinking.  
>Questions about anything else? Feel free to send me a pm or ask in a review.<p>

Anyways, thanks for all your support and I hope you guys will read my next story!  
>I'll update with a new chapter containing the link to the new story so those who are following won't need to keep checking the Kampfer page. (If there are people even interested ;_;)<p> 


	16. Subtitle

****Hey gais

So I just posted up the new sequel for split and am just writing this so people with alerts can be notified.

Hope you enjoy the new story and Happy Holidays!

Guest: Go away!

Renn Himeya: I suggest you make a fanfiction account, that way you can pm me about questions and be alerted to new chapters!


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